UPDATE: Reward offered as search for missing child continues
Law enforcement officers continue looking for a child reported missing Thursday in Jefferson City.
A caller reported to police shortly before 7 a.m. Thursday that 3-year-old Darnell S. Gray was missing from a residence in the 1100 block of Buena Vista Street.
Darnell is described as a black male, 3 -4 feet tall, weighing approximately 50 pounds. He has light-colored, shorter hair and was wearing a black and white sleeper, black coat, red Spiderman Velcro shoes, Mickey Mouse hat and gloves, and a "Black Panther" backpack.
He was last seen between 11 p.m. Wednesday and midnight, when he went to sleep, according to the Missouri Highway Patrol, which assisted in the search. At 7 a.m. Thursday, Gray was discovered missing along with his coat, hat, gloves, backpack, two juice boxes and some cookies from the residence.
Throughout Thursday morning, officers and Highway Patrol troopers searched the area of Elizabeth Street, Buena Vista Street, and the entire area encompassing the Jefferson Housing Authority properties, stretching up to Helias Catholic High School's Crusader Athletic Complex. Groups of officers walked through the neighborhood, knocking on doors and asking if anyone had seen or heard anything of the boy. For a time the Missouri Highway Patrol helicopter searched the area, without finding anything.
The search moved to the area of Woodclift Drive, then to Westwood Drive and Bassman Road, where officers deployed the Jefferson City Police Department's drone to see if it could spot anything from the air, but nothing was found.
No streets were blocked, and residents were able to go about their normal activities during the search.
Officers returned to the Police Department around 12:15 p.m. to debrief and then continued with the search in the afternoon.
"We stayed in the area where Darnell was last seen to make sure we talked to those we may not have been able to talk to earlier," said JCPD Capt. Deric Heislen. "It was probably not as intensive as before, but we have been talking with family members about what they may know that could help us."
The patrol issued an Endangered Person Advisory for Darnell, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also issued an alert to be on the lookout for the boy.
As of Thursday evening, authorities were unsure whether foul play is involved in this case, so the Highway Patrol has not issued an Amber Alert. For such an alert to be issued, law enforcement must confirm a child age 17 or younger has been abducted; believe the child is in danger of serious bodily harm or death; and have enough descriptive information about the child, abductor, and/or suspect's vehicle to believe an immediate broadcast alert will help.
"We'll continue looking for the boy as long as needed, and if we have to expand the search we will," Heislen said.
Anyone with information about the missing child is asked to call 911 or Jefferson City police at 573-634-6400.