A three-year-old boy is still missing almost two days after he disappeared from his family’s rural property in the NSW Hunter region.
Hundreds of volunteers and police have been scouring bushland for Anthony “AJ” Elfalak around his family’s 260 hectare farm at Putty, near Singleton, since he went missing about 11.45am on Friday.
Police were still searching for the toddler, who has autism and is non-verbal, as of 7am on Sunday.
Officers were looking into whether an amber alert needed to be issued, indicating AJ had been abducted on Saturday, but are yet to do so.
“At this point in time AJ remains missing, and our search continues,” Superintendent Tracy Chapman told reporters on Saturday.
AJ’s relatives fear he may have been taken from the property, family friend Alan Hashem wrote in a Facebook post, appealing for community members to keep any eye out for the child.
“No words other than, ‘broken’ we will not stop, until we find this precious boy! AJ Elfalak,” he wrote on Saturday night.
NSW police have issued a geo-targeted message asking people in the area to look out for the child.
More than 100 volunteers are assisting police on foot and on dirt bikes, but police discouraged any more volunteers from coming forward to search on Saturday.
Divers also searched a large dam on the property, which was also drained during the search.
AJ is believed to be wearing a grey jumper and pants, as well as sneakers, and is described as being of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern appearance, with short, dark hair.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
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