Law enforcement agents suspended the search for a missing 11-year-old boy Wednesday morning as investigators blocked off an area in Menifee with yellow sheriff's department tape and confirmed they consider the location a crime scene.
Authorities said they are "processing the scene" and "attempting to determine whether there are human remains on," a property on Helen Lane, a sheriff's department official told NBC4 Wednesday morning. Authorities did not confirm the search was focused on the property of the boy's family.
The autistic boy was last seen Saturday at the family home in the 33000 block fo Helen Lane. Terry Dewayne Smith was described as 4 feet, 8 inches tall, 76 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes.
Deputies who had been searching the area were "on stand-by" early Wednesday, Riverside County Sheriff's Deputy Albert Martinez said Wednesday morning.
Volunteers said they plan to continue the search.
"We're still holding out hope," said volunteer searcher Bill Gillette. "That's all we have to go with, right now. There wasn't anything specific enough for us to stop looking."
Riverside County Sheriff's Department and forensics services vehicles were at the location. Some 700 volunteer searchers, including family and friends, gathered Tuesday in the rural 55-square-mile area in 100-degree heat.
"He's alive, I know he is," his mother, Shawna Smith, told NBC4 Tuesday. "Mommys' hearts don't lie. He's still here -- he's somewhere; we just need to find him."
On Tuesday, Menifee police said investigators had no leads after speaking to registered sex offenders in the area about the case.
At about 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the boy's mother went out to play pool with some friends and left Terry with his older step-brother. When their mother checked in on them at about 1 a.m., she thought they were asleep.
In the morning, Shawna Smith discovered Terry was missing when she went into the bedroom to give him his medication. She reported him missing at 10:30 Sunday morning.
Terry's step-brother said he last saw the boy walking on Helen Lane Saturday night near the family home.
Anyone with information can contact authorities in Menifee at (951) 210-1000 or the Riverside County Sheriff's Department dispatch line at (951) 776-1099.
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