Jaryd Atadero

October 5, 1999
Web posted at: 1:17 a.m. EDT (0517 GMT)

FORT COLLINS, Colorado (CNN) -- As temperatures dipped below freezing for the third straight night, searchers remained optimistic they will find a 3-year-old boy missing since a hike on Saturday.

Six rescuers early Tuesday were searching a steep, rocky region of Colorado's Roosevelt National Forest at an altitude of about 9,000 feet.

"It's getting to be a long time, but we haven't given up hope and we're going to continue our search," said Cindy Gordon, a deputy sheriff for Larimer County.

The search for Jaryd Atadero began after he was reported missing during a hike on Saturday. The search has focused on a 4-square-mile area, about 50 miles west of Fort Collins.

The child was last seen wearing a hooded sweatshirt, sweatpants and a fleece jacket. He disappeared while hiking with 11 or 12 people in a church group from Littleton, Colorado, that included friends of the boy's father.

Allyn Atadero, the boy's father, takes a moment to speak to reporters late Monday night

The group of hikers, who were staying at the Poudre River Resort run by the boy's father, had asked if the boy and his 6-year-old sister could go on the hike Saturday.

The hikers split into two groups, and the boy was last seen after getting permission to leave one group to join the other.The boy's parents were not among those hiking. His sister returned safely.

"He's a fighter. He's very athletic already. He's a very strong-willed kid," the boy's father, Allyn Atadero, told CNN late Monday, as he fought back tears. "My gut feeling is I hope my little boy is hanging in."

Gordon said the Big South trail the hikers used is narrow, and the terrain is rugged and dangerous, lined with rocks. The trail parallels the Poudre River, and Gordon says there are many areas where the child could easily fall into the water.

A search team heads out to help hunt for the missing three-year-old

Gordon said rescuers were concerned about temperatures in the 20s, and the fact that the boy has not eaten for three days.

"He's a little boy and he's had no food," she said.

Earlier, about 30 to 40 searchers using a helicopter and sniffing dogs combed the rugged region in search of the boy. Officials scaled back the search as darkness fell. The helicopter will not be used in the night search.

"It is just way too dangerous to fly up there at night," Gordon said.

She said four canine teams, comprised of 8-10 people and two or three dogs, were to join the search in the morning. Rescuers will also hold a brainstorming session early Tuesday to review what's been covered and decide what else they need to do, if the boy has not been found by then, Gordon said.

"Those of you out there that have little ones, give them a kiss goodnight, give them a kiss in the morning, don't take anything for granted, because right now I'd give anything in the world to kiss my son right now," said Atadero.

On Sunday, an Air Force helicopter joining in the search crashed. The five aboard were taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries; three were treated and released.

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