UPDATE: Police find missing 4-year-old boy's body
The mother of a missing 4-year-old Jefferson City boy made a brief public plea Monday afternoon, hoping it would help find her son.
"I'm reaching out to all the people If you please have any information on my son, please come forth. Please, please, please," said the mother of Darnell Gray.
Jefferson City Police Lt. David Williams told reporters Monday afternoon at Jefferson City Hall that police would not be releasing the woman's name, saying they wanted to focus on the fact the search for Darnell was continuing.
The mother, her sister and other family friends were at Washington Park earlier in the day and told reporters they were there to show support for the search.
More than 100 law officers and other first-responders are involved in the search for the boy who disappeared from his Jefferson City home last week.
Williams reported Monday that no significant changes had occurred since Darnell was reported missing shortly before 7 a.m. Thursday from a residence in the 1100 block of Buena Vista Street.
"We have expanded our search to include the entire city, but I will not give specific locations," Williams said. "We are using all resources possible to find this boy."
Authorities drained a retention pond on Linden Drive, which is close to the apartment from which Darnell was reported missing. Williams said divers were in the pond last week, but wanted to check it again. Divers also were out at McKay Lake doing a search. Williams did not say if anything of significance was found in either search.
"We have had a lot of people calling us with information, and we want the public to continue to do that; however, let us decide whether that information is relevant or not," Williams said.
Members of the FBI offices in Jefferson City and Kansas City, as well as members of the Cole County Sheriff's Department, Missouri Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies, have been involved in the search.
Williams re-emphasized those citizens who want to help in the search need to call the police department and ask for Sgt. Joe Mathern, who is coordinating a list of volunteers.
Many officers and first responders gathered at Washington Park with the Cole County Emergency Management mobile command center, which serves as a home base for the searchers. It has a communications center with telephones, computers, cables and other equipment.
"We have professional searchers involved now, so we ask that people please keep out of the way as these people go about and do their job," Williams said.
He said they are going over everything that was told to them from the first time they were alerted to Darnell's disappearance. This includes re-interviewing residents and knocking on doors of the homes of people with whom they had previously talked.
"Right now, this is still considered an investigation for a missing 4-year-old," Williams said Monday. "Of course, there's always an investigation element to it. We don't know how this is going to end, and we don't want to just wait until something tragic occurs."
Williams told reporters the caregiver, who was in a relationship with Darnell's father, noticed Darnell was no longer in the room where she had left him Wednesday night while Darnell's father was at work. Williams said there was no way to know if the door to the room had been locked and later added the boy's disappearance does not appear to be a custodial situation.
"There's nothing specific telling us we needed to go to a specific area to search," he said. "We're saying he's missing and could be anywhere. We're sharing this with as many people as we can. We've gotten calls from Minneapolis, Chicago, Arkansas and other parts of the South."
As the search continues, the reward for information has been raised to $11,000, with $1,000 of that amount coming from the Jefferson City Area Crimestoppers and the rest from private contributions. Williams said the amount of time Darnell has been missing is "beyond critical."
"The family, both here in Jefferson City and in other locations around the country, have been cooperating with us as have those who live in the neighborhood where he was last seen," Williams said. "The feeling among everyone is they want to bring the boy home. Someone knows where Darnell Gray is. We need them to tell us where he is."
The Missouri Highway Patrol still has an endangered persons advisory issued for Darnell as does the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. He was last seen wearing a black and white sleeper, black coat and red Spiderman shoes.
Anyone who might have relevant information should call police at 573-634-6400, call the CrimeStoppers hotline at 659-TIPS (659-8477) or access jeffcitycrimestoppers.com.
JCPD also announced Monday night that a direct tip line for information on Darnell has been established at 573-634-6391.
Williams said the dedicated line "gives a definite person that's going to answer that phone" - meaning someone should always answer a call made to the 6391 number.
"As a reminder, anyone with information can contact authorities and remain anonymous. The amount of time that Darnell has been missing is beyond critical. It is imperative that we find Darnell and return him to his family," Williams said in the news release that announced the new phone number.