Detectives have been thrown an unexpected curveball in the search for missing Charlise Mutten, with family members now unable to confirm the last thing the nine-year-old was seen wearing before she disappeared without a trace.
The schoolgirl was last seen on Thursday afternoon at a sprawling five-hectare property in Mount Wilson, in the Blue Mountains – which is owned by the family of her mother Kallista’s fiance, Justin Stein.
When Charlise, who usually lives with her grandmother in Queensland but was visiting her mum for the holidays, was reported missing at 8.20am on Friday morning, officers roped off the popular wedding venue and declared it a crime scene.
As the desperate search for the young girl with a bright smile enters its fifth day, it’s been revealed Charlise’s biological father issued a cryptic post over social media on Sunday night.
‘Has anyone won the “Worlds most hopeless person award” twice? We have a repeat entry this year!’ he wrote on Facebook.
Doubt also hangs over the description of what Charlise was last seen wearing, which had been widely broadcast as a pink top, black knee-length skirt and pink Nike thongs.
Charlise Mutten (pictured) went missing on Thursday afternoon. Investigators have been scouring the scene, with the search now entering its fifth day
Neither Charlise’s mother Kallista Mutten, nor her stepfather, Mr Stein, have been able to tell police definitively what the schoolgirl was wearing when she was last seen on the verandah of the Wildenstein property last Thursday afternoon.
Detectives are treating the disappearance as a possible homicide, with officers spending five hours on Monday scouring the property she vanished from.
A red car was seized over the weekend on High Street, in Penrith, as part of the investigation and will undergo forensic testing.
It is understood police are trawling through hours of CCTV footage to track the Holden Colorado ute’s movements through the region around the time the school girl vanished.
Asked directly if police believed her disappearance was suspicious on Monday, Police Area Command Acting Superintendent John Nelson would only say detectives were ‘not discounting any scenario’.
The search was hampered by heavy rain on Monday, forcing SES and RFS volunteers to wind up their search ahead of what would be Charlise’s fifth night missing in the mountains.
Charlise Mutten, 9, was staying with her mother Kallista Mutten when she disappeared on Thursday at a sprawling private wedding venue owned by the family of her fiancé, Justin Stein
Pictured: Detectives and police cars entering the scene on Monday, with investigators telling reporters to leave
Police have seized a red ute (pictured) as part of their investigation, which will be forensically examined
Dramatic footage captured by Daily Mail Australia showed police cars and a large number of detectives on foot swoop on the retreat at 11.30am on Monday.
Investigators ordered the media to ‘leave, now!’ from outside the gates on Monday morning – moments after plain clothes child protection squad officers drove into the property.
A police bus followed by unmarked police cars rolled through the gates as a uniformed officer stood guard.
They stayed at the property for five hours before leaving that afternoon.
Rescue teams spent Monday scouring dense bushland, fire trails, murky ponds and rivers in 30C heat following a promising development on Sunday.
Rural Fire Service volunteers found a ‘very small and barefooted’ footprint along a trail just a few kilometres away from where Charlise was las seen, with NSW Police Chief Inspector Gary Sims also telling reporters ‘certain items’ had been found.
But Inspector Sims said the items ‘unfortunately haven’t led to anything that gives us a definite indication of her location’.
Charlise Mutten was last seen on Thursday afternoon. She was reported missing on Friday
Picture: The sprawling five-hectare Mount Wilson property where Charlise Mutten went missing
More than 90 Rural Fire Service officers have been deployed in groups of seven to ten across Mount Irvine and Mount Wilson to search for Charlise, and items of the mystery clothing she was wearing when she vanished.
NSW RFS Commander Peter Bennett told Daily Mail Australia the search parties had reached the ‘saturation point’ of available officers from four different stations at Chifley, Macarthur, Hawkesbury and the Blue Mountains.
He described the search areas as ‘inhospitable’ and the task as ‘exhausting’, with officers were on the lookout for traces of Charlise ‘or anything unusual’.
Ten groups of firefighters searched an area of 10km on Monday.
‘It’s pretty thick scrub,’ he said, ‘walking in line through that is exhausting.’
Ms Mutten is not believed to have given a formal interview yet, despite expectations she would be spoken to.
Charlise Mutten (pictured) went missing from the Blue Mountains on Thursday night. Family members have been unable to confirm to police her last known outfit
The search for nine-year-old Charlise started on Friday and went over the weekend (pictured, police at the scene on Monday)
RFS volunteers (pictured) found footprints on a nearby fire trail. Police found also ‘certain items’ relating to the search
Ms Mutten collapsed and was taken to hospital shortly after her daughter was reported missing.
There is no suggestion she or her fiancé were involved in her daughter’s disappearance.
Searchers who set off to comb vast areas of bush have been encouraged to call out Charlise’s name as they conduct line searches.
Neighbours told detectives they saw a car with no headlights driving away from the area at 4.30am on Friday.
That evening, police impounded a vehicle in Sydney’s west.
Acting Superintendent John Nelson said: ‘A 31-year-old man from this location has been helping us with our inquiries.’
Pictured: Charlise as a toddler with her mother Kallista. The youngster normally lives with her grandmother in Queensland
Her distressed mum Kallista Mutten (pictured, left and right, with Charlise) was consoled by emergency workers on Saturday
Police divers searched the waters of the Hawkesbury River on Saturday (pictured) and seized a boat, which is being scanned for fingerprints
Police divers searched the waters of the Hawkesbury River on Saturday and seized a boat, which is being scanned for fingerprints.
Following her daughter’s disappearance, Ms Mutten collapsed and was taken to hospital. Mr Stein spoke to police on Friday.
‘For any parent this is a distressing scenario, so yes she is quite distressed so we’re providing her with support,’ acting superintendent John Nelson said.
The nine-year-old is described as being of Caucasian appearance with brown hair and blue eyes, and is between 130 and 140 centimetres tall.
Kallista Mutten’s fiancé Justin Stein (pictured) went to Penrith on Friday to speak with NSW police
Rural fire service volunteers have used ‘line searching’ tactics and marked out any items found in their painstaking search.
NSW Police sent out multiple geo-targeting text messages to all residents in the area on Friday and Saturday evening to inform them of Charlise’s disappearance and request help.
They also asked social media users to share the missing girl’s photo widely.
Police are appealing for anyone with information about her whereabouts to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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