Searchers push through pounding rain in hunt for missing 3-year-old boy

Searchers are pushing through heavy rain and whipping winds Thursday in the hunt for a missing 3-year-old boy in coastal North Carolina.

Casey Hathaway was reported missing in Craven County on Tuesday by a relative, the FBI said. He had been playing outside when he disappeared.

Hundreds of professional searchers and volunteers spent Wednesday pushing through the cold and the rugged terrain as they looked for the little boy on Wednesday.

But Thursday morning, "only professional searchers are being used because of serious safety concerns with the weather," the FBI in Charlotte said. "Volunteer searchers who arrive on scene will be allowed to sign up, but may not be used because of the dangerous weather conditions."

"Our number one priority is to find Casey," Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes said Wednesday. "No tip is insignificant."

The sheriff's office has also asked people to check their property, cars and storage sheds for Casey.

"We're not giving up," added the county's emergency management coordinator, Stanley Kite.

Casey has blonde hair and brown eyes. He stands at 28 inches tall and weighs 25 pounds, the sheriff's office said.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Craven County Sheriff's Office at 252-633-0498 or the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation at 919-662-4500.