Abandonment of Girl, 5, Baffling : Mystery: Youngster was left at a social services agency with a note attached that disowned her. Efforts to find parents have failed.

It was late July when little Amanda, believed to be about 5 years old, appeared in the lobby of the Buncombe County social services agency with a note pinned to her dress.

“This little girl’s name is Amanda Duncan,” read the note. “I can’t seem to do anything with her. She won’t mind. She lies and she steals.”

“She’s threatened to turn the gas stove on and blow up the house. She has put rocks and dirt in my food and drink,” it said. “I want to hurt her. I’ve thought about committing suicide. If something doesn’t change I’m liable to do both.”

It was signed: “Her Mother.”

Investigators have been trying ever since to learn more about Amanda and to find her mother.

Police thought their investigation would take only a couple of days. After all, the note gave a name for Amanda’s father, Ron Duncan, and left clues to her mother’s whereabouts, without giving an address.

But Asheville police Detective Nancy Penland is stumped.

“I’ve had calls from as far away as California, but so far we’re at a dead end,” Penland said recently.

Penland said that at her first meeting with Amanda, she asked: “Do you want me to help you find your mommy?”

The blond-haired child pounded her fists on the table and said “No!” Penland recalled.

“She slapped my face and made my mouth bleed!” Penland said the girl added.

Amanda now lives with a foster family in Asheville. She’s gained about five pounds and is affectionate with her foster parents and their 6-year-old son, the detective said.

“The note says Amanda is a bad little girl, but she’s really not,” Penland said. “She has been through quite a lot so she can be hostile.

“When I first met her she was very hyperactive. She would not talk to me, period. But when I saw her last . . . her face was all smiles. She was beaming.”

Authorities have received offers from people who want to adopt or set up a trust fund for Amanda. But the priority is finding her parents.

Calvin Underwood, director of the Buncombe County Department of Social Services, said fear of punishment may keep her parents away.

“A parent must be in a great deal of pain and confusion to lead to this kind of action,” he said. “I’ve got concerns for the parents--they need help. Part of our role is to heal the problems.”

Penland said the parents could lose parental rights if they wait too long. Within six months, social workers could petition a court to put the girl up for adoption.

But Penland still hopes the child’s parents will show up.

“I’m waiting for my phone to ring,” she said. “I’m not going to give up hope. There’s somebody out there who knows this child.”