Two-year-old Avery Blakeley vanished from his aunt’s yard in Malden, Washington, on March 26, 2009. The biracial White and Hispanic toddler was last seen playing around 12:30 p.m., wearing gray sweatpants and a blue sweatshirt with red sleeves while family members were moving items out of a trailer on the property.

Investigators quickly searched nearby Pine Creek after one of Avery’s slippers was found on the creek bank. More than 100 volunteers joined law enforcement for a two-day search by foot, dogs, ATVs and horseback, but fast, murky water and hazardous conditions — including a canoe capsizing — forced authorities to suspend the organized effort. Officials have said they do not suspect foul play, and the initial working belief has been that Avery drowned, but his body has never been recovered and he remains officially missing.

The community held a memorial fundraising auction to help the family and support private searches, and the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office keeps the case open. Did anyone in Malden or nearby see Avery that afternoon or have information about Pine Creek that could help bring answers?