Family, friends and community members are hoping for a Christmas miracle that a missing 6-year-old autistic Hilo boy named Benjamin “Benny” Rapoza will be found alive.
“I believe in God and I believe in his miracles, and God’s going to open up doors for somebody to find this boy and bring him home to his mom and just rejoice,” volunteer organizer Moana-Lei Mauga said.
Despite the decision by Hawaii County Police to suspend the search on Christmas Eve, volunteers will continue their search for the sweet-looking child with big brown eyes, whose photo has appeared in the media since he disappeared Friday.
So far there have been no signs of the boy, who is nonverbal and was last seen just wearing a diaper at a Keaukaha home in the 2100 block of Kalanianaole Street in Hilo. A diaper was reportedly found but did not match what the boy was wearing, Mauga said.
“We still will continue the search tomorrow because it’s what Christmas is about,” Mauga said Tuesday.
Mauga said that the volunteer group has grown with community members from as far away as Kau and Kona joining. Roughly 150 volunteers have supported the search.
The group has gotten more organized with coordinated line sweeps.
“We’re looking through all the bushes and other places that weren’t really thoroughly looked in,” Mauga said.
Professional hunters and divers with their own personal watercraft have joined in the search.
The volunteers are using the Facebook page “Find Benjamin Rapoza” to coordinate their efforts.
Searchers played the theme song to “SpongeBob Square
Pants” in hopes it would attract the boy, who doesn’t talk, but “only babbles,” according to his mother, Mauga said.
An extensive search by air, land and sea has come up empty. Detectives will continue the investigation and are actively responding to any new information.
Anyone with information on Rapoza’s whereabouts is asked to call Detective BJ Sagon at 961-8883 or email her at bobbie-jo.sagon@hawaiicounty.gov.
Rapoza is 3 feet tall and weighs about 50 pounds,
with a slim build, short brown hair, brown eyes and a fair complexion.
