Search For Missing Autistic Boy Unsuccessful

A 8-year-old autistic child from Caroline County, Va. has been missing for days. Police say Robbie Wood wandered away from his family while at North Anna Battlefield Park in Hanover County Sunday. Nearly 1,000 volunteers turned out to look for the boy this week.

Coy Barefoot of Charlottesville says the terrain was difficult and at one point, even some members of the search team got separated from the group.

"It was hilly, at times there was open water," he says. "It was without a doubt the thickest woods that I have ever been in." The search turned up nothing. "We saw no prints, no tracks, no clothing, we saw no sign of Robbie," Barefoot says.

The case has hit pretty close to home for Barefoot, whose own son is the same age as Robbie and has autism.

"I couldn't shake that feeling that this could be my son," Barefoot says.

The search itself was devastating, he adds. "Every tree you go around, every hill you come over, every clump of briars you come across, you're just hoping that as you bend down to look, that you're gonna see some sign of him," he says. "And we never saw that."

Barefoot says he remained hopeful throughout the day.