Karl Stefanovic’s Christmas holiday got off to a terrifying start on Wednesday, with the disappearance of his four-year-old daughter sparking a desperate search mission.
Police were called to the TV star’s luxury Noosa home shortly before 4.20pm when little Harper disappeared from the sprawling beachfront property.
A panicked Karl, along with his wife, Jasmine, were seen frantically scouring the area as a Queensland Police helicopter hovered overhead looking for the boy.
The Today Show host then hopped on a Vespa and asked Sunshine Beach locals if they had seen the girl.
Neighbors quickly joined the search and also used scooters to check nearby streets and trails leading to the ocean.
On the beach, Harper’s 19-year-old sister Ava and her boyfriend, Argentine athlete Genaro Abdola, joined the lifeguards asking bathers for their help.
Fears for Harper’s safety grew as night fell and storms approached.
But she was eventually found an hour later inside the family’s vacation home “curled asleep under a chair where no one could have hidden,” Stefanovic told the Daily Telegraph.
Karl Stefanovic (pictured with police) was seen frantically searching his Sunshine Coast home after his daughter, Harper, went missing.
Harper’s older sister Ava and her boyfriend (pictured together) also went to the beach to look for the four-year-old, but with no luck.
Neighbors soon joined the search, also using scooters to monitor nearby streets.
Harper was the first child for Karl and Jasmine (pictured together), who married at the One&Only Palmilla resort in Los Cabos, Mexico, in December 2018.
“We feared the worst because no one could find her,” he said.
“I called the police because they couldn’t find her in or around the house and our priority is her safety.”
Harper was Karl and Jasmine’s first child, born in May 2020 at Sydney’s North Shore Private Hospital.
The couple began dating in late 2016. five months after Stefanovic separated from his first wife, Cassandra Thorburn, after 21 years of marriage.
The former couple share three children: sons River and Jackson and daughter Ava, who is also named Willow.
He met Jasmine, a former model, at a boat party in Sydney.
The Stefanovics were married at the One&Only Palmilla resort in Los Cabos, Mexico, in December 2018.
The Today presenter’s luxurious Sunshine Coast getaway made headlines earlier this year when he listed it at Noosa Beach Abodes for $1,000 a night.
Queensland police deployed a helicopter to check the water while lifeguards asked swimmers if they had seen the young woman.
The search for four-year-old Harper was called off after an hour when she was found inside the family home.
Ava and her boyfriend asked beachgoers if they had seen Harper (in the photo, Ava Stefanovic’s boyfriend was wearing shorts with Karl’s face plastered on them).
The five-bedroom, five-bathroom holiday home, named Villa Isabelle, sits on a cliff overlooking the popular south-east Queensland coast.
The listing describes Karl’s property as an “architecturally designed home” that offers guests “comfort and relaxation at its finest.”
Meanwhile, open-plan indoor and outdoor living areas flow onto outdoor entertaining terraces, BBQ area, private balconies and a heated pool.
Karl’s Noosa Getaway is spread over three levels, with the middle level featuring an open plan kitchen, dining room and large living room with large sliding glass doors allowing in the beautiful sea breezes.
This beautifully decorated open plan area flows into the exterior, entertainment area and pool.
Karl (pictured) cruised the streets on a Vespa during the search for little Harper on Wednesday.
Several neighbors joined the brief search for the missing four-year-old boy on Wednesday afternoon.
Harper (pictured with her father) was born in May 2020 at Sydney’s North Shore Private Hospital.
Also on the middle level are two of the master bedrooms with their own private bathrooms and balconies.
On the upper level, the vacation home has two further bedrooms with king size beds.
On the ground floor is the stylish and elegant bunk room, which features a colorful mural behind two generously sized bunk beds.
The covered garage is also located on the lower level, where the entrance is also located.