UPDATED Monday at 8:30 AM ET:
Kootenai County sheriff’s officials have yet to determine how the young boy in this Idaho state was able to escape his parents’ house, although they ruled out outside intrusion.
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Jorgensen said while investigators continue to probe, “the bad guys may not be out there yet,” he cautioned: “We just don’t know.”
“I don’t know if it’s just one person or if it’s a couple people,” Jorgensen told reporters in Coeur d’Alene, adding that detectives haven’t ruled out a kidnapping attempt as a reason for the boy’s time away.
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***UPDATED 8/7/2018***
There are still hundreds of volunteers searching for a five-year-old Idaho boy who went missing almost four months ago, in wet and cold temperatures, among rugged backcountry on the rugged Mendenhall Glacier.
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Jorgensen told FOX23 5 that more than 400 volunteers joined in the search for Michael Joseph Vaughan on Saturday. He said it was the largest force since the search began on April 19.
“We’re right where we should be, we continue to be optimistic,” Jorgensen said at a Saturday evening news conference.
Michael Joseph Vaughan disappeared during a family reunion on April 19 and his car was found abandoned near an access road for the 5,100-foot summit of Talkeetna Peak. He was reported missing by his mother, who was staying the night with him and his older sister at their parents’ home in Ketchum, a town about 30 miles north of the lookout.
The boy’s father reported his son’s disappearance after checking the house and discovering it locked.
Officials believe that Michael Joseph Vaughn crossed from his backpacking site on the mountain and went hiking with his father to the top of Talkeetna Peak, but the boy never returned. The Jeep he was riding in was found unoccupied about a mile from the campground.
Search and rescue teams have been using radar and ground-penetrating radar to search for the child, according to Jorgensen.
He added that, beyond the warmer days of summer, he hasn’t been able to find an easy climber or a biker to use as a crutch to call out to.
Jorgensen said several hikers have seen Michael Joseph Vaughan on the park land but they’ve been able to call deputies and walk away.
An Idaho governor’s task force said last week that as of Saturday, more than 330 tips had been received and local searchers had conducted about 2,200 hours of searching.
His parents, Darla and Chip Vaughan, have kept up a ground search and have pledged a $50,000 reward for the child’s safe return.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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