Negotiations are being carried out between the suspect and authorities through a 60-foot plastic ventilation pipe that leads from the bunker, authorities said.

It's unclear whether Dykes has access to news reports about the standoff.

"Our mission is to resolve this situation peacefully for both the child and Mr. Dykes," Bresson stressed in his statement.

Standoff a focal point

The standoff has become a focal point for the people of Midland City, a town of about 2,300 northwest of Dothan.

Signs posted around the town and at the church urge people to pray for the boy.

During a vigil Saturday outside the town hall, Michelle Riley called on Dykes to release the boy.

"He just needs to know that ... everybody makes mistakes," she said. "Everybody's been through life events that changes them, but (the boy is) innocent. You know, let him go home to his mother. Let him go home to his grandparents. Let him come out to the community. Let him go back to school and be with his friends."