BRUNSWICK, Ga. – Police found several shovels in the trailer of a convicted sex offender and his family during their search for missing southeast Georgia 6-year-old Christopher Barrios, according to a broadcast report.
One shovel was found late Monday night, and three more were found Wednesday night when police searched the home of George Edenfield, Glynn County Police Chief Matt Doering told local FOX affiliate WAWS. Investigators won't give details about any other evidence or clues they found inside the house.
"Sometimes people will only tell you what they want you to know, or what they think you already know," Doering told WSB radio.
Edenfield, 32, has been named a suspect in the case.
Investigators on Thursday were searching another pond for the boy. More federal and state agents are on the scene, as well as up to 100 volunteers. Searchers have been combing the same general 5-square-mile area for a week now in their search for Christopher.
"We hope we find him," Glynn County Police Capt. Jim Nazzrie told FOXNews.com on Thursday. "I'm very hopeful we're going to find him alive ... you always have that hope that someone will be found alive."
Nazzrie said police likely will not give details about anything that could be considered evidence found in the Edenfield trailer, particularly if it's something that could later be used in court.
Police searched a thicket of dense pines Wednesday night where Edenfield's father David, and family friend Donald Dale — both of whom are in custody for lying to police — told investigators they had buried the boy's dead body there. They also searched a pond near the mobile home park in which both the Barrios and Edenfields live.
But hours of searching with high-tech gear failed to turn up any sign of the child. The search was suspended for the night around 10 a.m.
Police said Monday night was the last night the people in custody referred to Barrios as a child and not a body, reported WAWS. Investigators said they are now searching areas outside of Glynn County for the child. They also want to talk to other persons of interest.
George Edenfield, a convicted sex offender who was taken into custody on unrelated charges of violating his parole and still has no charges against him in Christopher's disappearance, is the main suspect in the investigation.
Police said he has told them conflicting stories about Christopher. In one interview, he told police he knew where the boy was located, but in another, he said he didn’t know anything about the disappearance.
Also arrested was Dale, described as an Edenfield family friend, George Edenfield's mother, Peggy, and his father, David.
David and Peggy Edenfield and Dale were charged with "concealing the death of another person," a charge based on false statements to police, Nazzrie said.
"All that is under state law, if you told me you buried a body and you took me out there and you couldn’t produce the body ... then we charge you with that because you say you have knowledge of it," Nazzrie said. "It probably won't hold up in court but it's still a charge."
The Edenfields and Dale, considered "people of interest" by police, also were charged with obstruction of justice and making false statements to investigators searching for the little boy. Police say those in custody have given conflicting statements about whether Christopher is alive, where he may be, and their level of involvement — if any — in his disappearance.
"The father and his friend basically confessed to burying little Christopher," Nazzrie told FOX News. "They took us to the area, several areas … for some reason they want to lie about it, they can’t remember where they buried the body or if they did bury the boy," he said.
"[George Edenfield] actually said that he had hurt the boy and his momma and then had moved the boy," Nazzrie said. However, police have "no reason to believe [Christopher] is dead," he added.
The obstruction charges carry a bond of only $235.50 per person, while the giving false statements charges carry a bond of $1,104 per person. No bond was set for the "concealing the death of another person" charges, or for George Edenfield's parole violation.
Christopher was last seen last Thursday night walking on a road not far from the homes of his father and grandmother, who live in a mobile home park about a half-mile from Interstate 95 just outside the port city of Brunswick on the Georgia coast.
The missing boy's parents have been "very cooperative," police say, and have allowed law enforcement to search their home and question them. Police say they don't feel any family members are involved.
The boy's grandmother, Sue Rodriguez told FOX News on Wednesday that there was no bad blood between the Edenfield family and the Barrios family, however, she's never even spoken to them, even though they live directly across the street from her.
"From what I've seen, the man just sits on the porch and watches all the kids out here," she said of George Edenfield.
Asked whether she's hopeful about finding her grandson alive, Rodriguez replied: "I am very hopeful that they're going to find this baby, my baby, bring him home. My hopes of him coming home alive are about gone, but I just want him brought back."
Rodriguez told FOX News that Edenfield had tried to talk to Christopher before.
"We told him 'don't go near that man, he'll hurt you, stay away from him,'" she said.
On Monday, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation issued a Levi's Call, the state's equivalent of an Amber Alert.
Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents are helping local authorities in the search.
"They're assisting us in running down certain information we can't get as quickly — criminal histories and stuff of that nature," Nazzrie said. "They're not conducting an investigation separate from us."
A reward of $31,500 has been offered for Christopher's safe return.
He is described as Hispanic/black, about 3 feet, 6 inches tall and weighing about 60 to 70 pounds. He was last seen wearing a long-sleeve blue or green shirt, black pants and white Reebok Velcro shoes with a blue stripe.
Anybody with information is asked to call the Glynn County Police Department Criminal Investigation Division at 912-554-7802.
FOXNews.com's Liza Porteus reported and wrote this story. FOX News' David Lewkowict and The Associated Press contributed to the report.
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