Police helicopter called in after Karl Stefanovic’s daughter vanishes

Karl Stefanovic had a “frightening” start to his Christmas break after his youngest daughter Harper went missing, with a police helicopter called in to help find the little girl.

Karl Stefanovic has had a “frightening” start to his off-screen Christmas break after his youngest daughter Harper briefly went missing, sparking a police air and land search on the Sunshine Coast.

But to the relief of the breakfast star and his wife Jasmine, little Harper was later found asleep under a chair.

The Today Show host and his family, who are holidaying at their waterfront Noosa property, called police on Wednesday afternoon when the four year-old couldn’t be found, with a Polair helicopter called in to help scout the area for the little girl.

While the situation “resolved itself quickly”, Stefanovic told this masthead it had been his “worst nightmare”.

“Harper went missing for a short time and we feared the absolute worst because no one could find her,” he said.

Karl Stefanovic pictured at his Noosa home during the search for his daughter Harper. Picture: MATRIX

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“I called the police because she couldn’t be found inside or around the house and our priority is her safety.”

After officers arrived at the property and couldn’t find the tot indoors or the home’s backyard, the search for Harper ramped up.

A concerned looking Stefanovic, 50, was seen standing with investigators on the steps of his home, while older daughter Willow and Argentinian athlete boyfriend Genaro Abdola were seen searching the sand.

Officers were also seen quizzing passers-by about whether they’d seen Harper.

But there was elation and relief for the Stefanovic family soon after their “massive panic”, with the little girl discovered “curled up asleep underneath a chair where no one could possibly have hidden”.

Stefanovic, who welcomed his youngest child with wife Jasmine Yarbrough in 2020, said he couldn’t thank police and neighbours enough for their help and apologised “for the fuss”.

Karl and Jasmine Stefanovic with their daughter Harper. Picture: Supplied

“We are so grateful for the support we received from Noosa Heads police department and the community around us. They all handled our distress and the outcome incredibly professionally,” he said.

As for the four year-old, whose only worry was if the big man in red would find out seven sleeps from Christmas Day, Stefanovic said: “(We’ve) have promised Harper Santa won’t find out. But somehow I think he knows.”