While day two of the search for Joshua Childers was not hindered by bad weather in this rural, remote and rugged part of Madison County, there was a fair amount of frustration among volunteers for which there are hundreds.

Many volunteer fire departments from up to an hour away came out with their ATVs and other equipment ready to join in the search only to be told "no thanks" or "not right now" from the Madison County Sheriff's Office or FBI.

Same goes for dozens of volunteers not associated with emergency agencies. One lady I talked to said her dad's a hunter and knows the area really well and it's a shame the locals aren't able to help in the search.

Authorities have several miles of Highway D closed off and they're only letting the people they want back there, back there. That makes sense, but from 3pm (the time I got out there) until 11pm (the time I left tonight) I never saw the Sheriff or an official who could update us on how many people were searching, where they were searching and are there any signs of progress? I realize these people are very busy and their top priority is, and should be, finding that child. But the public wants to know what's going on... and dozens of volunteers moping around near a camp ground also want to know if they're wasting their time waiting to try to help in the search.

I did talk to a guy from the Missouri Water Patrol who said they had boats with sonar gear so they could try to see if Joshua is in some body of water. The good news is, they haven't found him there which keeps hope alive he is still alive.

1 Comments

Julie said:

It is truly a shame to read that the authorities are limiting their search volunteers. I would think that having more manpower on hand could be quite beneficial to covering even more ground and ultimately finding this little boy before yet another day goes by. Three days is a long time to go without food and fresh water for anyone, especially a three year old. I'm sure this has already crossed more than one searcher's mind. I hope they find him soon with good news to report!

May 6, 2009 7:32 AM

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