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Missing boys' case now criminal probeMilwaukee police: 'The families are going through hell'
TIP LINES•Milwaukee Police Department tip line: 1-877-628-3804 •National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: 1-800-843-5678 YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS(CNN) -- The search for two Milwaukee, Wisconsin, boys reported missing last week has become a criminal investigation, police said Sunday. "Canvassing by the task force as well as leads and tips have led us to that conclusion," police spokeswoman Anne Schwartz told reporters. "As this is a criminal investigation, that will limit the amount of information that you all are going to be receiving." Quadrevion Henning, 12, and his friend Purvis Parker, 11, were last reported seen March 19 as they headed off to play ball at a park near their homes in north-central Milwaukee. Despite searches and numerous tips, police say they are mystified by the boys' disappearance. Schwartz said there was no evidence a crime had been committed, but investigators have determined "an increased possibility" that one took place. She said investigators have not ruled out "any scenarios or possibilities." Schwartz said hundreds of people have joined the search, and the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation has joined the investigation. She said nothing indicates that Quadrevion and Purvis have left the city, and the effect of the search's new designation as a criminal inquiry was not clear. "It's all about the focus of the investigation," she said. "At the beginning, this was a search. It's still a search, but the focus now of the search is as a criminal investigation." Both boys are reported to be good students and are not prone to running away, according to authorities and family members. Reward offers for their safe return have grown to $35,000, and area businesses have joined the effort, putting the boys' pictures on everything from pizza boxes to billboards. Police said they have no evidence that any family members are involved in the disappearance, and Schwartz said the families are "tortured" by the ongoing search. "This is a week, almost a week ago exactly, that Quadrevion's grandfather said, 'Sure, you can play a little longer.' The families are going through hell," she said. Henning is 5-foot-4 and weighs about 110 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black hooded pullover and black jeans. Parker is 5-foot-1, 120 pounds and was last seen wearing a gray hooded jacket, gray jogging pants and black tennis shoes. 
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