Triston "Buddy" Myers, 4, disappeared around 1:30 p.m., along with his two dogs, Sasha and Buck, near the town of Roseboro.
Friday afternoon, searchers reported locating some small footprints in between two bean fields about two miles from the home. That is where the search is now concentrated.
Authorities are also checking into a clue from a psychic who says the boy may be in or near a pond.
Buddy, as he is known, was last seen wearing blue jeans and a black Carolina Panthers T-shirt.
"He has got a tan-colored dog with three legs and a small Doberman," says Donna Myers, Buddy's aunt.
Since he disappeared, helicopters and rescue crews concentrated the search in a radius of several miles around the family's home.
"The worst part of it is that it is a heavily wooden area," says Maj. John Hayes of the Sampson County Sheriff's Office. "There are several bodies of water in the area."
Despite the number of ponds, swamps and heavy brush in the area, searchers say they are not giving up and are looking for any signs of the boy and his dogs. K-9 units are being used to track his scent.
"As long as he's been out here, there's no telling if he's hurt...we just hope to find him," says volunteer firefighter Anthony Davis.
WRAL'sSky5is assisting in the search. White Lake volunteer firefighter Willy Merritt was on board Friday morning, looking for the smallest sign of the little boy and his dogs.
"I just sat there with him, watching Barney with him...I must have dozed off for a couple of minutes," says Myers.
In the two months Buddy has lived with his aunt, he has walked away before. Monday, a family friend found him about two miles from his home. He told her he was trying to get to a nearby stable to ride a horse.
Investigators say Buddy might be hiding from searchers. They are also hoping the fact the dogs have not returned home means they are still with the boy, keeping him safe. Family friends say the dogs are always by his side.
"I just want to thank everybody for their effort, and I know they will find him," Donna Myers says.
Buddy is diagnosed withAttention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD) and does take medication. However, he is not in immediate need of it.
Sampson County officials say they have enough volunteers to keep shifts going through the night and the next day.
Anyone with any information about the boy's whereabouts is asked to contact the Sampson County Sheriff's Office at910-592-4141. andMichelle Singer
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