Friends, Neighbors, Strangers Turn Out To Search For Missing Kentucky Boy, 4

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) _ A 4-year-old boy has been missing from his home near Churchill Downs since Friday, and offers for help in finding him are pouring in, officials said. <br/><br/>Cesar Ivan Aguilar-Cano

Tuesday, July 3rd 2007, 9:06 pm

By: News On 6

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) _ A 4-year-old boy has been missing from his home near Churchill Downs since Friday, and offers for help in finding him are pouring in, officials said.

Cesar Ivan Aguilar-Cano was last seen playing outside his apartment building near the home of the Kentucky Derby. Police have said they do not believe he was abducted.

There has been no indication where he might be, although police have received more than 100 tips, and authorities, friends and neighbors have conducted extensive searches.

``We're running down every lead we're getting at this point,'' said Lt. Col. Tim Emington, an assistant police chief in Louisville. ``We want to keep this in the public's eye.''

Police have received such an outpouring of offers to help that the department asked the Exploited Children's Help Organization to coordinate volunteer assistance, executive director Lucy Lee told The Courier-Journal.

The Louisville-area organization is asking volunteers to take thousands of fliers door to door within a mile of the boy's home to try to cover the area.

``The best way to find a child is by the distribution of their photo,'' Lee said.

Neighbors told police that Cesar was a curious boy who would sometimes run around the complex unsupervised. It wasn't uncommon for the boy to go inside open apartment doors.

Those close to the boy, including his mother, are cooperating in the investigation, family spokesman Christopher 2X said.