FBI joins search for missing Kansas boy, 5

WICHITA, Kan. — Authorities searching for a missing 5-year-old Kansas boy have scoured a nature park and set up a tip hotline.

The Wichita Eagle reports that police said they received a call at about 6:15 p.m. Saturday to report Lucas Hernandez was lost in southeast Wichita. When officers arrived, Lucas’ 26-year-old stepmother said he was last seen at about 3 p.m. Saturday in his bedroom before she showered and fell asleep.

Officers and dogs have searched his home, neighborhood and the 216-acre Chisholm Creek Park. Officer Charley Davidson said Sunday that police have found no evidence that suggests Lucas was abducted, which is why no Amber Alert has been issued.

An FBI team is assisting police. Lucas has brown hair and eyes and weighs about 60 pounds. He was last seen wearing a gray shirt with a bear on it.

Two relatives of the boy told the Wichita Eagle they had concerns about the boy’s welfare in the past, and the child’s great aunt said she contacted the Kansas Department of Children and Families last spring. The agency has not said whether or not they had contact with the family.

The stepmother’s cousin, Kristin Edson, told CBS affiliate KWCH the boy’s father and stepmother are distraught. She said the stepmother told her that when she woke up Saturday, the child was missing and the back door was open.

“Very distraught. Very upset. Devastated. I mean, can you imagine?” Edson told KWCH. “They’re just very distraught and worried about his safety. It’s cold out. We don’t know where he’s at.”