As hundreds of volunteers and police officers continued the search for the missing eight-year-old Sarah Payne yesterday, her parents issued another plea for her return and said they were convinced she would be found alive and well.
Late last night, police released on bail a man in his 40s who had been arrested in connection with her disappearance. Police remained on guard outside his home. He is believed to be staying elsewhere.
The man from Littlehampton, West Sussex, was given bail three days after he was held by police searching for the eight-year-old. A second man, in his 30s, who was taken into custody on Monday night, was released earlier in the day on bail.
As Sarah's brother, Lee (13), took part in an identity parade in which the Sussex man took part, police also said they were investigating his report of seeing a white van and a grey Ford Mondeo in the area close to Littlehampton, west Sussex, where Sara disappeared on Saturday.
It has also emerged that there may have been an attempted abduction in the area at the weekend just four hours before Sarah disappeared. Police said a local woman had contacted them on Sunday to report that a man had chased her eight-year-old daughter as she cycled down a country lane with a friend just two miles from the fields where Sarah disappeared.
Sarah Payne, described by her parents as a "perfect" daughter, went missing on Saturday while playing near her grandparents' home in Littlehampton. She had been playing games with her brothers and sister but after an argument over a game said she was going home. She has not been seen since and hundreds of volunteers and a police helicopter with thermal imaging equipment on board have joined the massive search to locate her.
Heavy rain in the area in recent days has led to speculation over whether Sarah could survive in the open countryside.
In their latest televised press conference, Sarah's parents said they were sure they would find their daughter. Mrs Sara Payne said: "Sarah's okay, she's fine, we need to find her."
Praising the efforts of the police and those who had taken part in the search, Mrs Payne said she was determined that Sarah would be found. "Everybody's positive and we are staying that way."
However, she said the couple's other children were "getting worse, they have never been apart this long, never". Mrs Payne also urged all parents to be vigilant and to keep a close watch over their children.
Sarah's father, Mr Michael Payne, said he shared his family's belief that she would be found alive. "She's out there somewhere, we've just got to locate her." He then spoke directly to his daughter, saying he hoped she would hear his words: "We are going to bring you home with your brothers and sisters, just hang in there, girl."
The police family liaison officer who has been helping the family, Det Sgt Sean Scott, said Sarah's relatives were bearing up well, even though they were under extreme pressure: "Despite the circumstances the family are remaining positive and are being strong for each other and doing all they can to get Sarah back."
Media coverage of Sarah's disappearance is growing and Sussex police are considering whether to hold a televised reconstruction of Saturday's events, possibly this weekend if there is no breakthrough in the investigation. Detectives have also revealed they have received more than 800 telephone calls from the public offering assistance in the search and up to 300 members of the public are taking part in the search of fields in west Sussex.
The number of burglaries fell by around 28 per cent in England and Wales in the five years up to last October, the British Home Secretary, Mr Jack Straw, told the conference of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Torquay, Devon, yesterday.
The figure was the lowest level for 10 years, said Mr Straw, who said: "This demonstrates the tremendous work carried out by you, local councils and others to tackle burglary."