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Missing Boy's Mother: 'Something Really Bad Might Have Happened'

By Dillon Thomas

AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - The mother of missing six-year-old David Puckett said she was concerned the outcome of the search for her child was headed in a bad direction Sunday night.

The search for Puckett, who went missing New Year's Eve night, was called off for the second night in a row. Police described Puckett as "at-risk," due to a slight learning disability.

David Puckett (credit: Aurora Police Department)
David Puckett (credit: Aurora Police Department)

"David, he is a good kid," said Stephanie Puckett, David's mother. "I am worried, with how cold it is, that something really bad might have happened to him."

Stephanie Puckett
Stephanie Puckett (credit: CBS)

David was last seen after 5:30 p.m. Saturday night near Olympic Park in Aurora. His mother told police he was wearing black boots, camouflage pants, and a black jacket.

"The coat he is wearing, it is not a very thick coat," Stephanie Puckett said.

Several agencies, including the FBI, aided the Aurora Police Department in the search. More than 200 volunteers from around the Denver Metro area also made their way to the park, where search teams were divided and sent out throughout the area surrounding the Chambers and Yale intersection.

"If it was one of our kids, we would want help," said Don Marucut, a Denver resident who responded to a call for search volunteers on Facebook.

David Puckett
David Puckett (credit: Aurora Police)

Don, and his wife Ashley, said they had a daughter who had wandered away from home in the past. They said they could only imagine the pain the family was enduring with a child missing.

"It gets me all choked up just thinking about it," Don Marucut said.

While volunteers like the Marucut's took the park and surrounding neighborhood by foot, trained search teams utilized ATV's and helicopter to search for David Puckett.

"This is one of those things where time is really of the essence," said Nick Metz, Aurora Police Chief.

Metz said, as of Sunday night, teams had no clue which direction to specifically focus their search, as it was unclear which path the boy may have taken. Without an idea of where the boy may have went, many search crews may have been looking in the wrong direction.

David Puckett (credit: Aurora Police Department)
David Puckett (credit: Aurora Police Department)

"Right now, we are searching in a 360-degree radius," Metz said.

An Amber Alert was not issued in this investigation as of Sunday night. Metz told CBS4 the Colorado Bureau of Investigation needed proof, or valid reason to believe, Puckett had been abducted. CBI did not want to jump to a false conclusion, in case the child simply walked away from the house under his own will.

Police said David Puckett had a history of wandering away from home in the past.

The family told CBS4 they continued to hope the outcome of this search would be the same as the previous incidents, with the safe return of their child.

"If you guys can, please help me find him," Stephanie Puckett said.

Dillon Thomas is a reporter at CBS4 and a Colorado native. He believes everyone has a story, and would love to share yours! You can find more of his stories by following him on Twitter, @DillonMThomas.

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