Searchers in Trumbull County scoured a portion of North Bloomfield all day Saturday, but spotted no trace of a two-year-old girl who has been missing since Friday evening.

The search for Rainn Peterson was suspended shortly before 9 p.m. Saturday, nearly two hours after sunset.

Authorities say search efforts for the little girl will resume before daybreak at 7 a.m.

The command center remained open throughout the night to process any new information.

The child was reported missing from the home of her great grandmother who had been watching the little girl for her mother. 

The Ohio Attorney General has posted an alert for the child on its missing persons website saying that Rainn could possibly be either lost, injured or missing.

Investigators from the Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation Crimes Against Children Unit, the FBI, members of the Trumbull, Ashtabula, Geauga County Law Enforcement Task Force and area fire departments are all taking part in investigation into the disappearance of the little girl.

Spokesperson for the Ohio Attorney General's Office, Jill DelGreco says that just because Investigators from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation Crimes Against Children Unit are on the scene, it does not necessarily mean that a crime has been committed.

Because bad weather grounded a helicopter equipped with a thermal imaging camera, the search was limited to the ground on Saturday. Bloodhounds from the Columbus area are also part of the search effort.

Sheriff Tom Altiere tells 21 News that they are not looking for volunteers to join the search. He says authorities don't want to contaminate evidence in the area if it turns out to be a crime scene.

The Bristolville United Methodist Church has been set up as a command post to coordinate the investigation into the disappearance of the child

Altiere said that there are no signs of violence or forced entry at the Route 45 home of the child's great grandparents, where the tot was last seen.

The Sheriff says detectives have interviewed the grandparents and said that they have been very cooperative.

Polygraph experts from the FBI and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation were on the scene administering tests to relatives and others.

Sources tell 21 News that polygraph results corroborated the alibi of Rainn Peterson's father who is estranged from his wife.

Altiere says detectives have also interviewed registered sex offenders who live in the area.

A search of the state sex offender database shows five registered offenders either live or work within five miles of the home where the little girl was last seen.

The Sheriff did not say if the interviews turned up any evidence relating to the disappearance of the child.

Rainn's mother, Brandi Peterson told 21 News that the great grandmother discovered that the little girl was missing when she called for the children to come up for dinner Friday evening.

Brandi Peterson says her two sons, ages 3 and 4, were found upstairs but, Rainn could not be found.

"We can't find her anywhere. We looked everywhere, in the house, outside and I just hope that if anyone finds her they please call us as soon as possible because she is two years-old and she's little and she's out there all alone," Peterson told 21 News Friday night.

Rescue teams spent Friday night searching about a half-mile circumference around the home. Several K-9 units, as well as a helicopter equipped with a thermal imaging camera were called to assist at the time. No sign of the child was found.

As dawn was about to break Saturday, authorities were trying to locate trail cameras used by hunters to see if there have been any sightings of the missing child.

About that same time the County 9-1-1 Emergency Center sent out an endangered missing child advisory for a 20 county area in Ohio.

While not an AMBER Alert, the advisory said that the child is believed to be in danger.

North Bloomfield's Assistant Fire Chief says AMBER Alerts are issued when it's known that a child was abducted. In this case he says they are not sure what lead to Rainn's disappearance.

Summary of Department of Justice Recommended Criteria for an AMBER Alert:

  • There is reasonable belief by law enforcement that an abduction has occurred.
  • The law enforcement agency believes that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.
  • There is enough descriptive information about the victim and the abduction for law enforcement to issue an AMBER Alert to assist in the recovery of the child.
  • The abduction is of a child aged 17 years or younger.
  • The child’s name and other critical data elements, including the Child Abduction flag, have been entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system.

Description:

  • Name: Rainn Peterson
  • Sex: Female
  • Race: White
  • Age: 2
  • Ht: 3 ft.
  • Wt.: 24 lbs.
  • Eyes: Brown
  • Hair: Brown shoulder length

Rainn was last seen  wearing a long sleeve purple top with snowflake sequins, and multicolored shoes.

Anyone with information on Rainn's whereabouts is asked to call the Trumbull County Dispatch Center at (330) 675-2730.