Briant Rodriguez

Investigators said Tuesday they have made headway in the case of the 3-year-old San Bernardino boy abducted more than a week ago and that they believe Briant Rodriguez is still alive.

"We are conducting this investigation on the assumption he's still alive. We have no indication otherwise," said San Bernardino County sheriff's Sgt. Doug Hubbard, who is overseeing the search for Briant.

Two armed men took the curly haired boy from his home May 3 after using tape to tie up Briant's mother and four of his siblings as the family prepared to leave for a nearby park.

The motive remains a mystery, but there are 15 detectives searching around the clock for Briant, his captors and the dark green Ford Bronco that was seen speeding from the neighborhood three minutes before Rosalina Millan dialed 9-1-1.

The number of tips has steadily climbed to 400 and are spread across the Western states. Detailed tips are being followed by local investigators and FBI agents, while officers in other states have volunteered to check out lower priority sightings.

Investigators also continue checking surveillance videos at Inland businesses, hoping to find more clues.

Last week, they released surveillance photographs of the kidnappers and their vehicle taken at a local hardware store and a liquor store near Briant's Pedley Road house. The suspects were seen buying the type of tape they used to tie up Briant's family, investigators have said.

"We're not going anywhere," Hubbard vowed. "We're going to carry on until we've exhausted every possible lead and tip."

A $50,000 reward has been offered by the FBI and the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors for information leading to the arrest of Briant's captors.

The boy is adorable. So I really hope that some childless woman took him instead of the option that they took him to Mexico to kill him.

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