The search effort to find missing 5-year-old Destiny Norton moves forward, but it's the volunteers who are also missing.
Police and FBI agents revisited Destiny's neighborhood Thursday, looking for new clues in the disappearance of the little girl with the sparkling eyes, mischievous smile and silver-capped teeth. The Deseret Morning News has learned convicted sex offenders, including some on parole, are still being questioned about Destiny.
A startling drop in the number of volunteer searchers Thursday prompted family and friends of the little girl to issue a tearful plea.
"Maybe people are just getting discouraged . . . we're hoping that people will come out and help us look for her," Destiny's mother, Rachael Norton, said, sobbing. "We love our daughter very much, and we want her to come home."
As of 8 a.m. Thursday, only 21 people had shown up to look for Destiny. By noon, there were less than 100 volunteers. After the family pleaded for help during a midday news conference, hundreds came. By the end of the day, search organizers estimated more than 700 had shown up.
"We need it every day until she's found," said Destiny's uncle, Peter Brooks.
More than 400 people showed up Tuesday to search and 600 on Wednesday. By comparison, an estimated 1,200 volunteers a day searched for Elizabeth Smart and Lori Hacking.
"We need thousands," search coordinator Shane Siwik said. "Police believe Destiny is still alive."
Some speculate that because the Nortons aren't as wealthy and many of their friends and family have tattoos, piercings and are seen regularly smoking cigarettes, she isn't receiving the same type of attention as other missing children.
"Nearly every person that I have talked with has said the same thing, it's a class issue," volunteer searcher Jana Benzon said. "A child is a child is a child. I'm very frustrated in a state where we spout 'children are everything' that this girl is not receiving as much attention as those who come from more mainstream families. . . . Why aren't people coming in droves to help?"
Most of the people who live in the Norton home grew up on the streets. Her parents, Rick and Rachael Norton, recently converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Family members said Rick Norton was baptized into the church the day before Destiny disappeared.
Brooks said he hoped the appearance of the family and friends isn't keeping people from searching.
"Regardless of any differences or beliefs or appearances of any kind," he said, "the simple fact is, this is a 5-year-old missing girl."
Others have suggested that the Lori Hacking case — in which more than 1,000 volunteers searched for an apparent missing jogger only to learn later that she was murdered by her husband, Mark — may be deterring some from volunteering.
"Please don't let that stop you from coming here and helping this family," Siwik pleaded.
"We need people here," said Leslie Borchardt, Destiny's grandmother. "Do not judge my family. They are good, good people."
Siwik said the family was receiving support from Elizabeth Smart's family. Lori Hacking's father, Eraldo Soares, called from California, saying he would be in Utah in an hour's notice if needed, he said. Mark Hacking's father, Douglas Hacking, was seen out searching Thursday night.
Kevin Bardsley and Toby Hawkins, two fathers of Boy Scouts who went missing in the Uinta Mountains in recent years, organized search efforts in Emigration Canyon Thursday.
Bardsley, whose son Garrett, 12, disappeared while camping with a church group in the High Uintas in 2004 and has never been found, said he wasn't convinced the class issue was keeping volunteers away.
"I don't believe people are that way in Utah," he said.
Bardsley said in the case of his son and Brennan Hawkins, 11, searchers had a good starting point of where to look. In this case, Bardsley believes people might not think it's worth checking the canyons.
"It is worth it," he said. "If we don't find anything, at least we know now she isn't there."
Canyon searchers checked the area 100 yards off the side of the main road. If a person were to dump a body, the thought was they wouldn't bother going too far off the main road.
"Check under any boards . . . anywhere a body might be stashed, you want to look under that," said Toby Hawkins.
Another volunteer search was conducted in Destiny's neighborhood. Small teams walked through back yards, alleys, looking in garbage cans and handing out more fliers. Carrying sticks, searcher Madaline Chilcutt said they were doing a "knees down search."
"We're supposed to poke in the bushes and look under everything we can," she said. Sporting pink "Destiny" ribbons, they would occasionally shout the girl's name.
At the volunteer search headquarters, a banner was hung outside the LDS church proclaiming: "Today is a good day for a miracle."
Police and the FBI remain tight-lipped about their investigation into Destiny's disappearance.
On Thursday, FBI agents were back in the neighborhood around the little girl's home at 700 South and 500 East. Agents were seen with case files looking around, jotting down addresses. As they went through the back yard of Destiny's home, technicians from the Utah State Crime Lab took fingerprints of people inside — including prints Destiny left behind.
Investigators continued to question people about the girl.
"They have tracked down people that I don't even remember knowing until they showed me a picture," Rachael Norton said. Police have said the family is not under suspicion.
Agents from the Utah Department of Corrections' Adult Probation and Parole have been questioning convicted sex offenders throughout Salt Lake County who have been released on parole. The Deseret Morning News has learned several names of sex offenders have been provided to the Salt Lake City Police Department for further investigation.
"We are just assisting Salt Lake City police Police and doing everything we can to help them," said Utah Department of Corrections spokesman Jack Ford.
More than 200 tips had been phoned in to police, said Salt Lake City police Police detective Robin Snyder.
One tip led police on a 3 1/2-hour search of Tanner Park. Reported sightings of the little girl have also stretched from Ogden to West Valley City. Nothing has panned out.
"Somebody had to have seen something," Snyder said Thursday, adding that police did not have any new leads.
Destiny disappeared from outside her home Sunday. Since then, searches have been focused on the area surrounding her neighborhood.Dozens of candles burned around a framed "Missing Child" poster. Some of the little girl's stuffed animals were tied to trees underneath posters showing Destiny's smiling face.
E-mail: preavy@desnews.com; bwinslow@desnews.com