VALLECITO The law-enforcement task force canvassing the Vallecito community for clues to the disappearance of 13-year-old Dylan Redwine has discarded the possibility that he ran away Nov. 19 from his fathers home north of the reservoir, La Plata County Sheriffs Office spokesman Dan Bender said Wednesday.
Theres a combination of factors, Bender said. Theres been the passage of time without any sightings; Dylan was not a visitor but had friends here; he has a history of staying in contact with his family and friends; and theres been nothing on his cell phone record since he was reported missing.
Twenty law officers on Wednesday continued their door-to-door visits and inspection of buildings that began Tuesday with the hope of finding someone with information that can help solve the mystery of Dylans disappearance.
The task force has officers from the sheriffs office, Durango Police Department, FBI, Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Bayfield Marshals Office.
A telephone tip line (970) 382-7511 is now available at the sheriffs office. The line is not answered but is checked periodically, Bender said.
Tips can be left anonymously, but if the caller wants a reply, a call back number is required, he said.
The task force is gathering any form of information, Bender said. The information may not be applicable now but could be in the future.
Specifically, investigators would like to talk to anyone who was taking photos or shooting videos that show vehicles along the typical routes between Vallecito and Durango from 6 p.m. Nov. 18 to noon Nov. 19. That would include county road 501 and 240.
Anyone who can supply a copy of his or her photos or videos is asked to call the La Plata County dispatch center at 385-2900.
Three canine units belonging to La Plata Search and Rescue returned Wednesday to Vallecito to explore areas adjacent to the reservoir but not along the shore, Bender said.
Dylan was visiting his father, Mark Redwine, under court order, during the Thanksgiving holiday. The parents divorced in 2007 and Elaine Redwine moved with Dylan and his brother, Cory, 21, to Colorado Springs.
Mark Redwine, father to missing 13-year-old Dylan Redwine, made his first public appearance last night at a vigil in Bayfield. But when reached at his Vallecito home Wednesday morning, Redwine declined any possibility of further publicity, saying he wanted the attention to stay on the serach for his son.
The media has tried to turn the attention to him, but the story needs to stay on Dylan, Mark Redwine said, when he declined to be formally interviewed.
He said a million things were running through his head about what could have happened to his son. He said he doesnt think Dylan ran away.
He has nothing and no one to run away from, Mark Redwine said.
He said he will continue to stay in his house, saying he thought that was what would be best for Dylan. Mark Redwines brother is also staying with him.
Mark Redwine said Dylan had made tentative plans to meet friends at 6:30 a.m. Monday morning, but nothing was etched in stone.
He said he had questioned why the 13-year-old would want to wake up that early in the morning.
Ryan Nava, 13, a friend of Dylans said in a phone interview Saturday that Dylan was originally going to Bayfield to visit his friends Sunday night but then changed that to meet them early Monday morning.
Mark Redwine said he was going to give Dylan a ride to his friends house and tried to wake him up when he left Monday morning, but said he was out like a light.
Mark Redwine said he had to go to Durango that morning to run errands and to speak to his divorce lawyer.
The Vallecito area was quiet Wednesday morning with people walking their dogs and opening stores for the day, evidence that life goes on for the residents as authorities continue their investigation.
Authorities redirected the search for Redwine on Tuesday, and went door-to-door canvassing the neighborhoods after they used divers and sonar equipment to search Vallecito Reservoir.
While residents say they are still hoping Dylan will return safely home, a vigil held Tuesday night in Bayfield painted a less-than-optimistic picture as speakers mixed past and present tense throughout their speeches.
I want my gut to tell me that hes still hiding out there, but my gut is telling me something more is going on, said Vallecito resident Richard Scarbeary on Wednesday morning.