RUSTIC, Colo. (AP) -- Four fresh dog teams failed to find any sign Tuesday of a 3-year-old boy who disappeared while hiking with family and friends in rugged 9,000-foot-high mountains over the weekend.
As the search continued, authorities said two fishermen reported seeing Jaryd Atadero shortly after he split away from his group. Their account is the only trace discovered in four days of searching for him in the Poudre Canyon.Jaryd disappeared Saturday afternoon after splitting away from the group of friends he was hiking with, and a few minutes passed before anyone noticed he was gone.
Sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Gordon said that Jaryd ran into two fishermen along the Poudre River not far from the hiking trail.
"He asked them if there were bears in the woods," Gordon said.
The two fishermen, whom Gordon did not identify, described a walking stick Jaryd was carrying.
"I haven't lost hope," said Allyn Atadero, 41, choking back tears, "but it's a major task still, and I think I may never ever see my son again."
Teams planned to expand the search for Jaryd on Wednesday.
"We are checking under every rock and every log -- and making sure we look everywhere the little boy could be," said Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden.