Searcy police said the search for missing 2-year-old Malik Drummond is ongoing and will continue through the Thanksgiving holiday until the toddler is found.
Police Chief Jeremy Clark held a Wednesday afternoon news conference to update the public on the search for Malik, who was reported missing at 6:30 p.m. Sunday after he reportedly wandered away from his home in the 700 block of West Park Avenue about 45 minutes earlier.
"Any assertion that we are scaling back the search is false," Clark said. "The search is just as urgent as the moment we found out he was missing. The holidays play absolutely no factor in this. I would have expected to find him by now, and we haven't."
Clark said the search effort for Malik goes beyond Searcy and the state. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the FBI and other agencies are assisting. Clark also said that volunteers are still needed in the search.
Malik is described as black, 3 feet tall and weighing 40 pounds. He has brown eyes and a light complexion and was last seen wearing a blue shirt and brown, striped pants.
Since Malik was reported missing Sunday evening, officials have scoured the area for signs of the toddler, who is autistic. Law enforcement, volunteers, dogs, helicopters and more have been employed in the search. Clark said employees with Searcy Water Utilities have even used cameras to search storm drains.
Clark said that statistics show children Malik's age are found 95 percent of the time within 1.2 miles of where they disappeared.
"The law enforcement effort has twice started over from the residence and completed a grid search from that area," Clark said. "I said in the beginning we were going to search until we find this boy. That hasn't changed."
Metro on 11/27/2014