No Service For Missing Boy
The father of a 3-year-old boy who's been missing for a week in the mountains of Colorado says he won't hold memorial services until he knows what happened to his son.
On Friday Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden called off the search for Jaryd Atadero of Littleton. Despite nearly continuous searching with the help of dogs, helicopters and wildlife experts, investigators have found themselves without any clues to the boy's disappearance, as CBS News Correspondent Bob McNamara reports.
Officials fear that Jaryd, lost in mountain lion country, might have been attacked and carried off by a cougar.
"They found some cougar prints coming down toward his tracks," said Jaryd's father, Allyn Atadero. "And where the cougar prints and a little person's prints come together, the child's prints disappear."
Another theory is that he may have slipped and fallen, either getting caught in the rocky terrain and dying from exposure or dying from the fall.
Jaryd disappeared while on a hike with his 6-year-old sister and 11 members of a Christian group who were staying at a nearby cabin resort run by their father, a physical education teacher in Littleton.
Jaryd's parents, who were not along on the hike, have become resigned.
His mother, Stacie Mckissick, said, "We've got to say to ourselves that God is a good God and Jaryd is not suffering."
The search will be resumed if new clues are found. The Atadero family has printed flyers with Jaryd's photograph and information about his disappearance.
They are hoping that hikers and hunters in the area may find some new evidence. Hunting season starts Saturday.
The Larimer County Search and Rescue Team may also train in the area later, in the hopes of finding Jaryd.
Jaryd apparently became impatient with the slow pace of the hike. Investigators say he ran on ahead to catch up to faster hikers and that's when they believe he suddenly went missing.
It has been a frustrating search. Four people aiding the search were injured when their helicopter crashed. And when volunteer searchers were turned away, the missing boy's father became angry.
"Two days ago they told me if we don't find him in two days they'll bring 60 more people up," said Atadero. "And my question is, if it's your son, why would you wait two days?"
According to Sgt. Justin Smith of the Larimer County Sheriff's Department, "His chances of survivability, by all the charts and graphs and the scientific information that we have, are not good."
Police say there's no evidence to back a theory the boy was abducted.