Time is running out as Ontario Provincial Police continue their search along the banks of the Nith River for the body of a five-year-old boy who went missing last week.
The OPP's underwater search and recover team spent Saturday scouring the river banks and ice clusters in the hopes of recovering Robbie Reiner.
Officers were seen in boats and wading in the freezing cold waters as they combed the river for the young boy.
Waterloo police Deputy Chief of Police Operations Service Kevin Chalk told CTV Kitchener that if officers don't find Reiner by the end of Sunday they will re-evaluate how long to continue the search.
"It's a tough decision for the divers," he said Saturday. "There's nothing they want more than to bring closure to the family and all the officers involved and the community."
He added: "We're still hopeful that we'll have some results in the section we're working now. But obviously as time goes on it becomes more and more problematic because the water continues to flow."
Officers have been searching for Reiner since Thursday, when he was reported missing from his home in New Hamburg, Ont.
Hours into the search Thursday, search crews discovered footsteps in the snow leading toward the river and police later discovered a hole in the ice. Police are now calling this case a recovery mission.
On Saturday, New Hamburg community members organized a candle light vigil for the Reiner family.
The vigil's organizers, who both know members of the Reiner family, said it is important for the community to come together to show their support.
"You can only deliver so many meals to the family," Christa Yost said. "What else can we possibly do to show we care as a community?"
Lori Otterbein added: "We want to show the Reiners that we're there to support them and be there for them through this hard time."
With a report by CTV Kitchener's Nadia Matos
