JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After 270 law enforcement and search personnel searched Friday for 21-month-old Lonzie Barton, police say much of the area they wanted to search is complete and the size and scope of the search is being scaled back over the weekend.
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Chief of Investigations Tom Hackney said 72 officers would continue to search through the weekend in and around the Southside area where the toddler went missing more than a week ago.
"There's no telling how many gallons of sweat that these hundreds of officers have poured out over this and probably quite a few tears," Hackney said of the 9-day search effort.
Hackney said the JSO command post would remain on the Southside through Sunday and that police will have another update on the case at noon Sunday. He said after that JSO's efforts would continue in the criminal investigation, but they will be less in the public eye and will not require a command post.
UNCUT: JSO Chief Tom Hackney's noon Saturday news conference
"I certainly would not waste the resources of the Sheriff's Office to just go out and search -- this is an 800-something square mile county and there are millions of places that -- without specific direction -- that a 21-month-old could be left," Hackney said. "I wish that every one of those 800-something square miles could be checked, but realistically we are checking, double-checking, re-checking those places that -- without giving you specifics -- that we need to be checking."
Police said that over the first eight days after Lonzie's disappearance, police have received over 400 tips, searched 40 square miles and 61 bodies of water, and visited around 2,000 homes or businesses.
Hackney said some of the homes and business on the Southside are being revisited by law enforcement this weekend, as they check in with anyone they might have missed in the initial canvass of the neighborhood where Lonzie disappeared from the apartment where William Ruben Ebron Jr. lived with Lonzie's mother.
"We're doing everything we can for this, and if that means looking again, that's what we're doing," Hackney said.
Ebron originally claimed someone stole his car from the apartment parking lot with Lonzie inside. The car was quickly found less than a mile from where it was reported stolen with no sign of Lonzie. Within 24 hours, police said Ebron was inside his apartment doing cocaine at the time and called his story of Lonzie's abduction a lie.
On Saturday, Hackney said his case is "getting better by the minute," and that he was not in a rush to make an arrest until the case was solid, because he wants the person responsible for Lonzie's disappearance to live in "four very dark walls for several years to come."
Hackney said he'd been advised not to call Ebron (pictured) a monster during his daily updates.
"I'll leave it to the viewer and to the citizens to come up with their own adjective to describe him, and I won't call him a monster," Hackney said.
WATCH: Police building case against Ebron
Firehouse Subs, others businesses and individuals have donated to increase the special Crime Stoppers reward for finding Lonzie's body to $12,800.
"That's 12,800 reasons for you to step forward and tell us where Lonzie was left," Hackney said. "(It's) 12,800 reasons when you only need one, because the one reason is to what's decent and what's right and what's human."
Crime Stoppers is accepting donations toward the reward for Lonzie's recovery. To donate, go to fccrimestoppers.com, click "Donate" at the bottom of the welcome page and then include "Enhance Reward in Lonzie Barton Recovery" in the comments section.
Donations can also be made by phone at 904-398-5883 or mailed (include a "Enhance Reward in Lonzie Barton Recovery" note) to First Coast Crime Stoppers, P.O. Box 47875, Jacksonville, FL 32247-7875.
Rewards are usually paid upon an arrest, but due to the urgency of this case, tips leading to the recovery of Lonzie's body would qualify for the reward.
A separate $4,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the case.
Earlier in the week, searchers concentrated along Philips Highway, from the Avenues Mall south to near Interstate 295. Then for two days, the massive search for the missing toddler focused on areas north of the Trout River and east of Interstate 95 as police tracked the travel of Ebron's orange 1995 Honda Civic between 7 p.m. July 23 and 2 a.m. July 24 -- from the time Ebron dropped Lonzie's mother off at work to when he reported the boy missing.
Anyone who saw Ebron's car (pictured) in the hours before Lonzie was reported missing or has surveillance video they believe could help is asked to call JSO at 904-630-0500. Anyone knowing where Lonzie's body is should call Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.
Hackney continues to say the key to finding Lonzie is for Ebron to tell investigators everything he knows.
"I'm tired of asking him to do the right thing. I'm tired of asking his family to do the right thing," Hackney said. "They know what the right thing is, just like he does."
Hackney said Lonzie's mother, Lonna Barton, and Ebron's roommate have been cooperative with detectives as they seek answers in the toddler's disappearance.
But he would not rule out charges being filed against anyone.
"I will seek charges on anyone -- I don't care who it is -- that I find that's associated with this case that had something to do with whatever happened to him," Hackney said. "If there's somebody related to that -- I don't care who -- look out."
Hackney said police will continue an active search until they run out of places to look.
"There has to be a time that we stop," Hackney said. "That's part of what my heartbreak and anguish is, is when."
The community has responded with support for the searchers by bringing donations of water, sports drinks and supplies to the Command Post. Police also asked for donations of bug spray and sunscreen and got overwhelming response.
On Friday, Hackney said they had enough supplies donated to last for several days.