HAPPY VALLEY, Calif. -
Monday marks the fifth day search and rescue teams from all over California have been searching for missing 6-month-old Ember Sky Graham.
Ember was reported missing from her crib early Thursday morning by her father, Matthew Graham, who is a person of interest in the disappearance of the baby.
Almost 80 volunteers from statewide search and rescue teams and 60 family members searched the countryside on Monday for the six-month-old. The search efforts are concentrated in the area of Clear Creek Road in Happy Valley.
Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko said given the time that has passed and the heat over the last five days, they are looking to recover the body of baby Ember to see if there's any "recoverable evidence there."
"We don't have any viable leads of where to look, so it's a little bit of a needle in a haystack search," Bosenko shared.
The Sheriff's Office has uncovered surveillance video in the case, but the Sheriff declined to comment on what the video shows or how it has helped their investigation.
The Sheriff said although Graham has not been charged in connection to the disappearance of Ember, their sites are squarely set on him as a person of interest.
"Matthew is still considered a person of interest and yes, recovering the body can provide in some cases, a lot of evidence value that would certainly help the case with prosecution. We are looking at a number of other charges that could also be brought against him as well," Bosenko stated in regards to Graham.
The Graham family said they haven't given up hope that Ember is alive. They are standing behind Matthew Graham as they continue to say there is no way Graham would hurt his daughter.
The Graham family has connections to the Sheriff's Office, Matthew's mother Sheila is a former deputy, and she too is standing behind her son.
"I think you you know we have to look in every different avenue, every possibility, whether she's out there and someone has her alive or if she's out there," said Amber Graham, a relative to Ember.
Members of Nor Cal Alliance for the Missing have also stepped in to help with the search efforts.
"Through this dark, dark moment, just not knowing where she's at that, the community has come forward, just kind of rekindled the spirit for mankind," said Trudy Nickens, the director and founder of Nor Cal Alliance for the Missing.
Graham is expected to appear in a Shasta County Courthouse on Tuesday for a probation violation allegation. Graham was put on probation originally for a DUI and forgery conviction, according to the Shasta County Sheriff's Office.*