CINCINNATI — Ongoing efforts to locate a toddler who has been missing since at least the weekend continued Tuesday thanks to mostly volunteer search and rescue crews working together as a coalition.
Three-year-old Nylo Lattimore was last seen Dec. 4, according to investigators. Police found his mother, Nyteisha Lattimore's body near Yeatman's Cove in the early morning hours of Dec. 12. Relatives later identified a stroller found at the scene as the one that typically carried Nylo.
Lattimore's boyfriend, Desean Brown, is currently being held at the Hamilton County Detention Center, charged with murder in the woman's death.
Jeff Shari, with the North Star International Search and Recovery Team, said these types of search operations often require the help of volunteers.
"A lot of us are retired police officers," Shari said. "The police departments are undermanned and don't have the time to sometimes do proper searches. So we wanted to do something where we can help."
Shari's team is collaborating with the all-volunteer Ohio LandSAR team to continue the search for the toddler. All told, roughly 30 people were out continuing the search Tuesday.
"Everyone out here from both teams, they're all volunteers. A lot of them took off work to come here in their own time," Shari said. "Some people are actually involved with family members that are missing people. The police officers just want to give back to the community."
Shari said that, if the boy drowned in the river, it could take up to a week before his body resurfaced.
"Being that it's cold and usually they stay under a little longer," he said. "So this is a good timeframe when the body, if he is indeed in the water, would start coming to the surface and we should find him on the shore somewhere."
Even when search crews discover the worst possible outcome, Shari said the volunteers find some solace in bringing families closure.
"I know if it was my child ... they want to get out there and find them," he said. "Nothing gives us more joy than to give closure to a family."
Shari said the main focus area Tuesday remained the vicinity where Nyteisha Lattimore's body was found Saturday morning. He said upon "completely cover(ing) this area," crews will expand their search more than 20 miles downriver to where it meets the Great Miami River near the border between Ohio and Indiana.
