JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Law enforcement officers from surrounding counties and state and federal agencies are among those assisting in the search for missing Jacksonville toddler Lonzie Barton.
The 21-month-old disappeared late Thursday night or early Friday morning while in the care of his mother's boyfriend, William Ruben Ebron Jr., who is now considered a suspect in the case.
In the six days since the search for Lonzie began, hundreds of law enforcement officers from 18 agencies have combined their efforts to bring closure to a case that the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is now calling a murder investigation.
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Among those are deputies from Nassau County, who have supplied ATVs, and deputies from Baker County, who know the concerns of looking for a missing child.
Baker County Sheriff Joey Dobson said officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office helped Baker County search for missing 8-year-old Peyton Blodgett in October.
"It's called mutual aid. We have agreements with each sheriff's office, and JSO … has never refused us on anything," Dobson said. "We're somewhat smaller, but they've always sent anything we've needed, from dive teams to bomb squad, SWAT team or anything."
Peyton (pictured), who has autism, was found alive after about three days, dehydrated and with scratches, but otherwise safe.
"We're happy to assist JSO," Dobson said. "They certainly helped us with our missing child, Peyton Blodgett. I think they requested five deputies and a supervisor. They were down there all day yesterday and will be today, and we'll continue to assist them as long as they need us to."
As time slips away, JSO Chief of Investigations Tom Hackney said it's less and less likely that Lonzie's story will have the same happy ending as Peyton's.
"This is less of a missing persons investigation and more of a homicide investigation," Hackney said. "Those (search) efforts will continue until we have nowhere else to go and no puddle to get in, no tree to get under and no rock to overturn -- until we do everything we can to locate Lonzie."
Hackney said JSO has received about 220 tips in the case so far, including offers from businesses along the route that JSO has been searching to look at their surveillance video.
Jacksonville Fire Rescue ladder trucks are also assisting in the search for Lonzie, along with a JFR ambulance.
Other agencies involved in the search include the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the State Attorney's Office, the Alachua, Clay, and St. Johns county sheriff's offices, the FBI, Florida Fish and Wildlife, and the Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, Orange Park, Miami-Dade, Miramar and Duval County School Board police.
"The locations have been gridded out. The structure that we've spoken about before that's put together helps keep that in track. You have 200 plus searchers with just a ton of locations to search. It is a true body of work to keep up with that," Hackney said.
JSO also brought in 11 volunteers from Texas Equusearch, a mounted search-and-recovery team.
"The level of support that the men and woman who are out searching for Lonzie have received is just touching," Hackney said. "All these agencies are not only helping us find Lonzie, but helping build a case against (suspect) Ruben Ebron."
On Friday, police searched dumpsters at the apartment complex where Ebron reported that Lonzie was abducted in a car theft. Police later said Ebron's original story was a lie and began retracing his steps, including searching a nearby laundromat (pictured) where Ebron washed clothes the night Lonzie disappeared.
As investigators have established the route that Ebron traveled that night, police have searched several more commercial trash bins for the missing boy or evidence.
Investigators also asked that several commercial dumpsters not be emptied until they are searched. One trash compactor was taken to the Trail Ridge Landfill so its contents "could be sifted through safely for clues to this investigation."
So far, nothing useful has been recovered.
Hackney said he remains frustrated that Ebron knows what happened and where Lonzie is, but isn't telling police the truth.
"He's the man that had the baby, and he's the man who needs to give me the answers," Hackney said.
But friends of Ebron have told News4Jax that they just can't believe he's responsible for Lonzie's disappearance.
WATCH: Ruben Ebron's friend speaks
Lisa Bryant said her friend deserves a voice, too.
"I want them to find this little boy. I want them to find him alive, and I pray to God that they do find this little boy alive, because nobody deserves to die that young. He had a whole life to live. I want the public to know that I am not saying that there's not a possibility, but Ruben does need a voice, and I -- in my gut and my heart -- I do not know how he could ever harm a child," Bryant said.
She said she saw him recently with his own children and the he's a good father.
"He could juggle those children around and take care of them with such loving care," Bryant said. "It boggles my mind if you think he could harm a child."
But police say there's a different side to Ebron. Records show he has a criminal history on the street involving drugs and has problems with domestic violence. His next court appearance is Aug. 17.
As the search for Lonzie stretches on, Hackney said citizen support for the searchers has also been overwhelming, including several restaurants and individuals who have provided food, water and supplies.
Police have said that any donations to help the searchers are welcome and can be coordinated with the volunteer liaison at 904-314-6940.
Hackney again asked for prayers that the search would come to an end.
"I'll be more than happy to take some divine influence with the locating of this child," he said.
For now, citizens are not being asked to help in the physical search for Lonzie. News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said that's partly a safety and liability issue.
"If somebody is bitten by a snake (in the woods) or falls and breaks an ankle, the city may be liable," Smith said. "Also, if evidence is found, law enforcement knows how to preserve that evidence, not to move it, not to damage it and also to recognize what could be evidence that maybe the public would not be able to recognize."