MARC ANTHONY BOOKAL - 4 yo (2009) - Newburgh NY

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Police are looking for a young boy who went missing from his home in Newburgh Monday.
Authorities say 4-year-old Mark Bookal was last seen at home by a caretaker around 1 p.m. A short time later, the front door was found open and the child has not been seen since.

He was last seen wearing a red, long-sleeve shirt, white Nike Uptown
sneakers and
gray Rokaware sweatpants. He is light skinned, wears his
hair in a medium length
afro and has discolorations on the back of each
hand from a previous burn injury. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-FIND-KID.

CITY OF NEWBURGH — Police are searching for a 4-year-old boy who
disappeared Monday afternoon in the City of Newburgh.
City police said Marc Anthony Bookal is 3-feet-5-inches tall and weighs 42
pounds. He is a light-skinned black boy with a medium-length
sandy-brown afro and brown eyes. He was wearing a red long-sleeved
shirt, white Nike sneakers and gray sweatpants. Police said his skin is
blotchy on the backs of his hands.
Marc was last seen about 1:20 p.m. at his family's apartment in a two-family
house on Benkard Avenue. Officials said he and his stepfather were
getting ready to visit a relative, when Marc walked out of the
apartment a couple of minutes ahead of his stepfather.
When the stepfather left the apartment, Marc was gone. He checked at a
neighbor's house, where the boy sometimes goes, but there was no sign
of the child, police said.
"We searched the entire neighborhood. We went door to door,
block by block," police Lt. Charles Broe said Monday night.
"They're working on it as we speak."
Police said there had been no sighting of the boy. An Amber Alert has not been
issued; Broe said that after investigation, it was determined that the
case did not meet the state criteria. New York requires the abduction
of a child — either witnessed or eliminating other possibilities
through investigation — or a belief that the child is in danger of
serious injury or death.
Police issued a radio bulletin to alert other local departments, and they will issue an
alert through the state Missing and Exploited Children Clearinghouse.
Anyone with information on Marc's whereabouts is asked to call Newburgh police at 561-3131.

CITY OF NEWBURGH — City police have charged the
boyfriend of a missing 4-year-old boy's mother in connection with the
disappearance.
Cory Byrd, 30, who lives at
the same Benkard Avenue residence as the mother and child, was charged
with endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor.
City police Sgt. Paul Weber said Byrd was in charge of the child when he disappeared.



Byrd
also was charged with violation of parole. He was arraigned in City
Court and sent to the Orange County Jail in lieu of $2,500 bail or
$2,500 bond on the misdemeanor charge, but he won't be able to leave
the jail while his parole violation proceeding is pending.
City
police and officers from other agencies, as well as K9s from
Westchester County, are continuing to search abandoned buildings and
other locations throughout the city, hoping to find Marc Anthony Bookal.
The
child was last seen around 1:20 p.m. Monday and reportedly walked out
of the apartment just before he and the suspect were supposed to go
visit a relative.
He is described as 3 feet 5
inches tall, weighs 42 pounds, has light black skin. brown eyes and a
medium length brown afro. He was wearing a long-sleeved red shirt, gray
sweatpants and white Nike sneakers.

NEWBURGH – The search for 4-year-old Marc Bookal was expanded to
the Hudson River waterfront Wednesday morning.

Police Chief Eric Paolilli said the search, which has included bloodhounds
from the Westchester Department of Public Safety, had concentrated for
the last two days in the area of 11 Benkard Avenue, the home of the little
boy.

The chief said as of 8 a.m. Wednesday, the focus of the search is the
area along the river. Resources from city and state police and K-9 units
from both agencies and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office are being
use.
A cadaver dog searched the waterfront and turned up nothing, a state
trooper said.

Police said the boy’s shoes have not been found.

The boyfriend, Cory Byrd, 30, has been arrested and charged with a parole
violation and endangering the welfare of a child.

He was watching the little boy when the child is said to have wandered
out the front door of their home and disappeared.

MIDDLETOWN — Christina Bookal’s family can do little but hope and pray that 4-year-old Marc Bookal is found safe, and soon.
"We’re just waiting and seeing, and hoping and praying that there has been no
harm done to our grandchild," said the Rev. Grace Coston of Kingston,
Bookal’s mother. "I really, really don’t believe that Cory (Byrd) would
do any harm to Marc."
Marc Bookal disappeared about 1:15 p.m. Monday,
while his mother’s boyfriend, Cory Byrd, was
watching him. They were preparing to go to a relative’s home, Christina
Bookal said, when, according to Byrd, the boy walked out of the
apartment alone. When Byrd followed him out the door a couple of
minutes later, they told police, the boy was gone.
Christina Bookal has always been very independent, the grandmother said. She
wasn’t sure how long Bookal and Byrd, who have a son and daughter
together, have been back together.
"As a family, we didn’t know Cory or the element that they lived in. We
didn’t approve of the element," Coston said. "She seemed to be very
much in love with Cory, so we didn’t argue with her."
Aside from the reckless endangerment charge he ultimately pleaded to, Coston
said, she didn’t know details of the 1998 case where Byrd was initially
charged with causing serious injuries to her daughter’s oldest child,
Christian, who was then 14 months old.
In his plea, Byrd admitted to leaving Christian alone for a hour and a
half. He had told police that when he got back to the apartment, the
child was choking on a piece of candy, and that he tried to do the
Heimlich maneuver to clear the child’s airway. He took the boy to the
hospital, where staff notified police.
The family is focusing on supporting her, Coston said.
"I just pray that Marc is found as soon as possible," she said.

CITY OF NEWBURGH — The search for a missing
4-year-old turned Wednesday into a grim survey of the city waterfront
and the cold waters of the Hudson.
It was the third day of searching for Marc Anthony Bookal, who was reported
missing at 1:20 p.m. Monday, clad only in a long-sleeve red shirt and
gray sweatpants, and wearing white Nikes. Dozens of police combed the
area around his Benkard Avenue home Monday night, to no avail.
The last person known to have seen the child was Cory Byrd, 30, the live-in
boyfriend of the Marc's mother, Christina Bookal. Byrd told police the
boy walked out the door of his apartment building alone. He said the
child was gone when he went outside a few minutes later. Byrd has been
charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
Wednesday's search focused on the areas immediately north and south of the city's
sewage treatment plant and along the railroad tracks. A state police
dive team slid into the frigid Hudson River.
Relatives and friends of Marc's family watched the waterfront search from the
foot of Renwick Street. They said they were told bloodhounds were
following a trail developed the night before.
There was a rumor going around Wednesday that searchers had recovered one or
both of the missing boy's shoes. But city police Chief Eric Paolilli
said in a statement issued around noon that it was not true.
Police have refused to say whether they believe the child is alive or dead at
this point. Temperatures dropped into the low 20s Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, bail was set at $2,500 for Byrd.
While police have not named Byrd as a suspect in the boy's disappearance,
Christina Bookal has said questions police asked her indicated they
considered him a suspect. But she has rejected that idea and urged cops
to focus on getting her son home safe.
Byrd will remain in Orange County Jail even if he's able to post bail on the
endangering charge, as he's also being held for violation of parole. He
has been assigned a county Legal Aid Society lawyer.
Police said Wednesday night that the ground search will resume Thursday
morning, while other elements of the investigation are continuing
around the clock.
Long before Cory Byrd was charged with endangering the welfare of the 4-year-old, he proved
capable of frightening violence. In 1999, Byrd was convicted and jailed
for reckless endangerment. He had beaten another of Bookal's sons, who
was 14 months old at the time. In 2002, Byrd attacked an 18-year-old in
Newburgh. Byrd brutally beat the youth and slashed his face even though
he did everything Byrd asked. The slash took 250 stitches to close.
Byrd spent five years and five months in prison.
The young man said he's seen firsthand what Byrd has in him.
Now 25 years old, the victim in that attack called Byrd a "vicious animal."
"If this guy gets mad, and he treats that little boy in any way he treated
me, then I have pity for that little boy's soul," he said.

Searchers are again checking the Hudson River waterfront for a
4-year-old boy who disappeared from his family's Newburgh apartment on
Monday.
Police Sgt. Paul Weber Jr. says there have been no new developments
in the disappearance of Marc Anthony Bookal as of midday Thursday, but
the search continues along the river and around the apartment where the
boy lived with his mother and her boyfriend.
Police dogs and dive teams have been involved in the search.
The boyfriend, 30-year-old Cory Byrd, has been charged with
endangering the welfare of a child. Police say the boy was in Byrd's
care when he vanished. Byrd also was charged with a parole violation.
He's being held in Orange County Jail.
Police haven't called Byrd a suspect in the boy's disappearance.

Divers went into the Hudson River Thursday to look for a missing
4-year old boy from Newburgh, but didn't find anything before the
search was called off at noon. Marc Anthony Bookal vanished from his home Monday on Benkard Avenue, police said. The door was left open and he was gone. His father says he is beginning to emotionally break down. "I'm running out of faith, I feel like I'm holding on to thin air right now," Yul Bookal said. State and local police SCUBA teams had navigated the frigid waters for nearly two days with no sign of little Marc Anthony. Police
then went back to another ground search. Canine units lead the way, as
dozens of officers fanning out across Newburg hoping to find Marc. Marc's disappearance has saddened an entire community, made national news, and exposed troubling details of his home life. His
mother, Christina, has been criticized for staying with her live-in
boyfriend, Corey Byrd, after Byrd was sent to prison for beating
another of her children 10 years ago. Bryd is back in jail, charged with child endangerment since Marc was in his care this week when the boy vanished. And
it turns out, several months ago Marc's hands were badly burned and
police are investigating claims that Byrd was responsible for that
injury. None of these incidents prompted social services to intervene. Marc
is 3-foot-6 and weights 42 pounds. He has black eyes and brown hair. He
is described as a light-skinned black boy with discolorations on the
back of his hands from a previous burn injury, authorities said. He was last seen wearing a red long-sleeve shirt, white Nike Uptown sneakers, and gray Rokaware sweatpants, police said. If you have any information, please call the hot line at 800-346-3543 or Newburgh police at 845-561-3131.

CITY OF NEWBURGH — Dozens of uniformed police
officers converged on Benkard Avenue near Marc Anthony Bookal's home
shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday.
They fanned out into the surrounding blocks.
Two German shepherd police dogs scurried along the sidewalks, sniffing for clues.
A couple of officers went inside the boy's apartment, and into the basement.
But as the sun began to set on another day of sub-freezing temperatures,
city police reported no new developments in the four-day-old search for
the missing 4-year-old.
Thursday's search included members of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority police
and New York City transit police, in addition to Newburgh city police,
state troopers and Orange County sheriff's deputies, among others.
Bookal was reported missing at 1:20 p.m. Monday. His mother's boyfriend, Cory
Byrd, told police the boy walked out the front door of the apartment,
and had disappeared when he looked for him minutes later.
Byrd was charged Tuesday with endangering the welfare of a child, a
misdemeanor. Police said that charge was for allowing the boy to wander
off. He also was charged with violation of parole.
Meanwhile, the case has attracted the interest of some psychics — or "remote
viewers," as this group refer to themselves — in California who are
involved in a television show that's in the early stages of
development. The producer, David Linstrom, said Thursday they've
provided police with information on the boy's possible location.
City police spokesman Sgt. Paul Weber wasn't familiar with that particular
tip but said the department will seriously consider any information
"that can be verified."
"We are following every lead we get," Weber said.

Investigators continue to pursue leads and search the city of Newburgh for a 4-year-old boy who went missing Monday.

Police Sgt. Paul Weber says a special search and recovery dog provided
by the National Center for Exploited Children is involved in the effort
to find Marc Anthony Bookal, who vanished from his family's apartment
Monday.

Dogs and dive teams have also checked the nearby Hudson River, but Weber says Friday there's still no sign of the child.

Cory Byrd, the boyfriend of Marc's mother, has been charged with
endangering the welfare of a child. Police say the boy was in Byrd's
care when he vanished.

The 30-year-old Byrd also was charged with a parole violation. He's being held in Orange County Jail.

Police haven't called Byrd a suspect in the boy's disappearance.

NEWBURGH – As each day of searching for Marc Bookal goes on, law
enforcement officials hold out less hope of finding the 4-year-old boy
alive.
Friday, the fifth day of the search, Police said the situation looks grim .
Police
are now using a special search and recovery canine provided through the
National Center for Exploited Children, said Newburgh Police Sgt. Paul
Weber. Agencies involved in the search are Newburgh and Beacon city
police departments, State Police, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office
and K-9 teams from Ramapo Search and Rescue.
At one point during th esearch Friday afternoon, police lifted a manhole
cover at Benkard and Liberty, looking for clues.
Mayor
Nicholas Valentine is praying for the boy’s safe return. “We just hope
and pray that he is OK; that is the most important thing right now,” he
said.
Police Chief Eric Paolilli said the winter weather is against the searchers.
“The weather doesn’t help if anybody is outside for this amount
of time; however, the tracks and the scents will be attacked for dogs
to be picked up, if they are out there,” he said.
Orange
County Sheriff Carl DuBois, who has K-9 teams in Newburgh, is worried.
“We would all want this to be a happy story, but as time goes by, the
outlook is just that much more bleak.”
Police from a
number of jurisdictions have joined the search for the little boy who
walked out the front door of his family’s home on Benkard Avenue in the
City of Newburgh early Monday afternoon.
His mother’s
boyfriend, Cory Byrd, 30, was arrested earlier this week for
endangering the welfare of a child and a parole violation. Weber said
Cory requested an attorney during questioning on Monday, December 14.
That ended the police ability to take to him. The department has
contacted his attorney, Legal Aid attorney Erik Indzonka and told him
they would like to administer a polygraph test to Byrd. They are
awaiting a reply.

CITY OF NEWBURGH — An anonymous donor has
offered a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the safe return
of 4-year-old Marc Anthony Bookal.
The reward
was the only new development on the sixth day of an exhaustive search
for Marc, who went missing Monday afternoon. More than 25 police
officers and three dogs handled by volunteers searched a half-mile
radius around the Benkard Avenue apartment where Marc lived. They
searched backyards, alleys and areas near the Hudson River and
Quassaick Creek.
A snowstorm Saturday night
was expected to delay the search and make it more complicated. Police
worry that snow could cover pieces of evidence or scents that would be
picked up by dogs. That’s why search teams covered a wide area
Saturday.
“We got the most amount of territory covered that we possibly could,” Newburgh police Chief Eric Paolilli said.
The search is expected to resume on Monday.
Meanwhile, Paolilli is asking Newburgh residents to report any items that seem out of place around their houses.
Marc
disappeared about 1 p.m. Monday while under the care of his mother’s
live-in boyfriend, 30-year-old Cory Byrd. who was charged with
endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. Byrd initially told
police that the boy wandered off. He’s gotten a lawyer and remained
silent ever since. Byrd remains in jail for a parole violation.
Since
then, police have searched more than 120 hours for the boy. They’ve
been helped by numerous other police agencies, volunteer dog teams and
most recently the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Anyone with tips is asked to call Newburgh police at (845) 561-3131.

CITY OF NEWBURGH — Two more contributions have raised the total reward in the case of a missing 4-year-old to $16,000.
A
second anonymous donor gave $5,000 over the weekend for the safe return
of the Marc Bookal. Monday the Carlie's Crusade Foundation offer $1,000
reward for any information leading to the return of the child. He
disappeared Dec. 14. Cory Byrd, 30, the live-in boyfriend of the
child's mother has been charged with endangering the welfare of a
child.
“Our goal is to provide incentive to the community to get
involved and help locate this missing boy and if necessary, to help
provide closure for his family,” Carlie's Crusade said in a press
release.
These latest two contributions come on top of $10,000
from an anonymous donor seeking the child's safe return, according to
city police.
City Police are looking for anyone else with video
surveillance in the Southeast corner of the city. Police want to review
that video.
At the same time, police said the child's mother and
biological father, Christina and Yul Bookal, have both taken polygraph
tests.
Police contacted Cory Byrd's court appointed attorney, Eric
Indzonka, to express their interest in conducting an interview and
polygraph examination with his client and have yet to hear back from
him, they said.
Officials continue to track any and all leads in
the matter and are seeking to add to the reward. To do so, contact
police. Anyone who wishes to contribute to the Carlie's Crusade reward
may contact www.CarliesCrusade.org or at (800)496-6720 or 309-2961.
Donations are in addition to the organization's contribution and tax
deductible, officials said.

NEWBURGH – The biological parents of Marc Bookal, 4, the Newburgh
boy who has been missing since Monday, December 14, have both taken
polygraph tests, police said Monday. Newburgh City Police have also
asked the boyfriend of Marc’s mother, Cory Byrd, to take a similar test
– the request made through his attorney – but there has yet to be a
response.
In the meantime, the reward leading to
information for the safe return of the child has now increased to
$16,000. An anonymous community member offered $10,000 over the weekend
and now an additional $5,000 was offered by another anonymous
benefactor, the police said.
Carlie’s Crusade Foundation
also offered a $1,000 reward, Monday, for any information leading to
the return of young Marc. That reward will be provided regardless of
the circumstances regarding his return, the foundation said.
The police department is also asking for more support from neighbors.
Any
business or building owners in the southeast area of the city who have
video surveillance on any portion of their buildings, and who have not
already been contacted by the police, are being asked to call the
detective division to allow investigators to review any video that they
may have. The number is 845-561-3131.
The police are also asking anyone with any possible information about Marc’s disappearance to call them.

NEWBURGH – Cory Byrd, the boyfriend
of Marc Bookal’s mother, has declined the Newburgh City Police Department’s
request for him to take a polygraph test. The rejection came via Byrd’s
attorney, Erik Indzonka, city police said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the 4-yaer-old’s biological parents, Christina and Yul,
both were found to be truthful in their responses when they took polygraph
tests days before, said Police Sgt. Paul Weber.

To date, three donations have been made, totaling $16,000, seeking information
about the whereabouts of Marc.

He went missing on Monday, December 14 when he is said to have walked
out the front door of his family’s home at 11 Benkard Avenue.

Byrd has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child because
he was with Marc at the time of his disappearance.

NEWBURGH – Christina Bookal, whose four-year-old son Marc has been
missing since Monday, December 14, is trying to make Christmas a little
brighter for her other three children.
Ms. Bookal has three other children, Matthew, 5, Shariah, 11, and Christian, 12.
As
a stay-at-home mom, she is finding it difficult to provide gifts for
those kids. Orange County Child Protective Services and the Salvation
Army have both provided gifts for her kids. The family could use more
holiday cheer, according to friends.
But, the best cheer
for Ms. Bookal would be the safe return of Marc. “I pray to a higher
being and I feel inside I will get him back,” she told
MidHudsonNews.com.
Police continue a full scale search of Newburgh looking for any clues into the whereabouts of the young boy.
Search
teams consisting of City of Newburgh and Beacon Police, State Police,
Orange County Sheriff’s deputies and the Ramapo Search and Rescue dogs,
are conducting an extensive, systematic search of the ravine and wooded
areas southwest of the last location Marc was seen, said Weber. “We are
using every resource possible to attempt to find young Marc.”
To date, three donations have been made, totaling $16,000, seeking information about the whereabouts of Marc.

NEWBURGH – Two more donors stepped forward Wednesday making a total
of five offering cash for information leading to the whereabouts of
Marc Bookal, 4, of Newburgh.
The young boy who is said to
have walked out the front door of his mother’s 11 Benkard Avenue home
on December 14 and has not been heard from since.
New
York State Crime Stoppers announced it is offering up to $2,500 for
information leading to the solving of the case and/or the whereabouts
of Marc. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers
Hotline at 1-866-313-TIPS (8477).
Earlier on Wednesday, a
donor offered a $5,000 reward for the safe return of the youngster or
$2,500 for his return if he is deceased.
Three rewards had previously been offered totaling $16,000.
On
Wednesday, two dozen police officers continue to scour the area, which
has now been expanded northbound toward Broadway. The State Police
helicopter is also being used again to assist in the river search.
Community
members are becoming more involved as the case progresses and city
police are assisting the community in providing flyers and information,
said Police Sgt. Paul Weber.
Marc’s mother, Christina,
and his father, Yul, both took and passed polygraph tests. Christina’s
boyfriend, Cory Byrd, has refused to take one. He remains in jail on a
parole violation and a charge of endangering the welfare of a child.

NEWBURGH – Newburgh City and State Police divers are expected to
spend the weekend searching the Hudson River for any signs of Marc
Bookal, 4, the Newburgh youth who disappeared from his Benkard Avenue
home on December 14.
Newburgh Police spokesman Lt. Charles Broe said searchers have completed
an entire ground search of the southeast section of the city finding no
clues as the whereabouts of the youth.
There had been a riverfront search by police K-9s as well as a river search with cadaver sniffing dogs.
Now, between city and state police divers, Broe anticipated between six and
10 divers in the river over the weekend. Because of the cold
temperatures, individual officers won’t be able to stay in the water
for long, so there will be a lot of rotation, he said.
Bloodhounds had indicated the possibility of some clues along the river, so that is
what is bringing the divers to the river, Broe said.

NEWBURGH – State and Newburgh Police
divers are in the Hudson River off the City of Newburgh Monday looking
for any clues as to the whereabouts of 4-year-old Marc Bookal, who was
reported missing on December 14.

Police have searched buildings, basements, sewers and fields in the area
of his Benkard Avenue home. They also conducted extensive searched with
K-9s along the Hudson River shoreline.

The boy’s biological parents have taken, and passed, polygraph tests.
The mother’s boyfriend, Cory Byrd, remains in the Orange County
Jail on a probation violation and a charge of endangering the welfare
of a child. He was with the boy when he disappeared.

Byrd has refused to take a lie detector test.

CITY OF NEWBURGH — Christina Bookal's 4-year-old son disappeared
two weeks ago, and she's frustrated with police.
She wants to know where they're searching, what leads they're following and
how they're proceeding with the investigation. She said she calls the
department every day, asking for details.
"They can't tell me anything," Christina Bookal said.

Marc Bookal disappeared on Dec. 14. He was in the care of Bookal's
boyfriend, 30-year-old Cory Byrd, who told police the little boy
slipped out a side door of his Newburgh home and vanished. Law
enforcement agencies throughout the region joined city police in the
search.
Byrd was arrested on charges of child
endangerment, and detectives began questioning people while officers
and police canines began a methodical search of the southeast section
of Newburgh.
Christina Bookal said they should have been more thorough and aggressive from the start.
"If it were one of theirs, they'd have the whole ... town flipped upside down," she said.
Lt. Charles Broe said detectives speak to Christina Bookal but can't share
all the investigation details. Passing out information, even to
relatives, comes with a risk that sensitive details could leak to the
public, sending skittish sources underground or otherwise harming the
investigation.
Broe spoke on Monday as teams
of city and state police divers felt their way through the water along
the Hudson River shoreline. He said police had divided southeast
Newburgh into 81 grids and searched every one with officers and dogs.
Bloodhounds
from Westchester picked up Marc's scent near the industrial sites along
the water and followed it all the way to his apartment door. Donors
have offered a $26,000 reward. Still, Marc remains missing.
"It's harder because he's 4 years old," Broe said. "I've got kids. A lot of cops working this case have families."
Christina Bookal says someone out there knows something. She hopes their conscience forces them forward.
To report any information about Marc Bookal's whereabouts, contact City of
Newburgh police at 561-3131 or Crime Stoppers at 866-313-8477.

NEWBURGH – City and State Police continued their investigation
Tuesday into the disappearance of a young Newburgh boy two weeks ago.
There has been no sign of Marc Bookal, 4, since December 14.
Two
days of SCUBA diving in the Hudson River were suspended, said Police
Lt. Charles Broe, but detectives and State Police are continuing other
parts of the investigation.
Marc was reported missing
on December 14 when he was said to have walked out the front door of
his mother’s Benkard Avenue, Newburgh home. Police have conducted
extensive searches of the neighborhood as well as along the Hudson
River waterfront.
The boy’s natural parents have taken
and passed polygraph tests, but the mother’s boyfriend refused to take
a polygraph. Cory Byrd has been charged with endangering the welfare
of a child because he was with Marc at the time of his disappearance.
Rewards, totaling $16,000, have been offered for information that leads to finding the boy.

This sounds familiar. Why is the mother saying LE aren't doing enough while HER boyfriend, who was the last person to see the child sits there refusing to say what happened? He won't take a lie detector test which says it all and yet this mother of the year has the audacity to blame LE for not finding her son.

NEWBURGH – Police in the City of Newburgh have ended ground searches
for now for Marc Bookal, the 4-year-old boy who disappeared from his home
on December 14, 2009.

“We are not actively conducting ground searches for Marc at this
time,” said Lt. Charles Broe. “The detectives and investigators
are still actively working the case, though.”

Police searched every corner of the extended area around Marc’s
home as well as the Hudson River and its shoreline.

Marc went missing when he walked out the front door of the family’s
Benkard Avenue home around 1 p.m. that day. His mother’s boyfriend,
Cory Byrd, was babysitting him at the time.

Police have charged him with endangering the welfare of a child and violation
of probation. He remains in the Orange County Jail and refuses to take
a lie detector test.

Marc’s biological parents have both taken polygraphs and passed
them, police said.