Police Chief On Missing Boy: 'Time Is Really Of The Essence'
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - Search and rescue teams have been out in full force looking for a 6-year-old boy who went missing from his home in Aurora.
The FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were among a handful of agencies working with the Aurora Police Department.
Police said that the missing child, David Wayne Puckett, was with his family at their home on Amherst Place near Jasper Street when he apparently wandered off around 5:45 p.m. Saturday.
David, who attends Dartmouth Elementary, is described as a white male with brown hair and blue-hazel eyes. Police said that the boy is 4-feet tall and weighs 48-pounds.
He was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, green camouflage pants, black boots with orange trim, and a tan-colored girl's coat.
"He's a good kid," said Stephanie Puckett, David's mom.
Puckett tearfully pleaded for the community's help to find her little boy.
"The coat he's wearing is not a very thick coat," Puckett said. "I'm worried with how cold it is that something really bad might have happened to him. And if you guys can, please help me find him."
Aurora police had issued three reverse 911 calls asking for the public's eyes and ears. Police said that the department was using every resource available.
"This is one of those things where time is really of the essence," said Nick Metz, Chief of the Aurora Police Department. "So, the more that we can do right up front, the better chance we'll have of finding him safe."
Search efforts included volunteer citizens teaming up to canvass the neighborhoods. Search and rescue teams were driving through fields and walking along creeks. Bloodhounds were working to track down the boy's scent.
Even strangers went out of their way to try and locate him.
"I've had kids disappear on me too, so I know what it's like," said one woman who was out checking drainage passages under roads.
She wasn't the only resident lending a hand in the search for the missing child.
"Oh God, there's nothing worse," said MaryAnne Pallotti, who lives in the area. "I feel so bad for the parents."
Police said that the case was not the first time that David had wandered off.
Since David was not believed to have been abducted, police said that the case did not qualify for an Amber Alert.
Officer were asking for anyone who may have seen him to call 911.
Melissa Garcia has been reporting for CBS4 News since March 2014. Find her bio here, follow her on Twitter @MelissaGarciaTV, or send your story idea to mkgarcia@cbs.com.
