Five years after N.S. boy Dylan Ehler went missing, searchers take another look
'There's a grieving family behind us right now, and they want their son back'
A dozen volunteers were on the ground this weekend searching for Dylan Ehler — a three-year-old who was last seen five years ago in Truro, N.S.
Please Bring Me Home — a volunteer-led national organization — conducted the search with community members and the boy's father.
Five volunteers from the organization from Ontario flew in on Friday and began their search along the CN Rail line, not too far from where Ehler went missing.
The organization says it's been aware of Ehler's case since the time of his disappearance. It has been working alongside Dylan's father, Jason Ehler.
"There's a grieving family behind us right now, and they want their son back," said Melissa Noel, an investigator with the team. "They want to have … a place to go and remember him and put this behind [them]."
Ehler was last seen playing in the yard of his grandmother's home on Elizabeth Street. During a six-day search following his disappearance, all that was found was a pair of the boy's boots in Lepper Brook — a creek near the house that feeds into the Salmon River.
Noel said the team found an "item of interest" on Saturday about 160 metres away from the grandmother's house that has since been turned over to the Truro police. CBC News was unable to confirm the information with Truro police on Sunday.
Community support
Among the community volunteers is Mikel Legere who helped with the search along the Salmon River. He's a local school teacher and has two kids of his own.
"The Holy Spirit just impressed upon me that we needed to go and help," said Legere.
Searching for the Sullivan kids
Jason Ehler said searching for his own child while knowing there are two other kids in Nova Scotia who have disappeared is overwhelming.
Lilly and Jack Sullivan were reported missing on May 2 in Lansdowne Station.
"My heart goes out to the family, " said Ehler. "The feeling of watching it all play out again, it's like reliving my own nightmare, even though I relive it every day."
The search was set to conclude Sunday.
Police say Dylan Ehler's disappearance remains an active investigation. Anyone with information can call police directly at 902-895-5351.
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