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Search For Missing Fitchburg Boy Fruitless

FITCHBURG (CBS) -- Despite receiving help from a Navy Reserve member who has search and rescue experience, an effort to find missing 5-year-old Jeremiah Oliver on Saturday was fruitless.

The boy has been missing since Sept. 14. On Saturday, family members and friends searched for Jeremiah with Miguel Fleitas of Fitchburg, a U.S. Navy Reserve petty officer who has performed search and rescue missions in the military. The searchers focused on the neighborhood where his mother's boyfriend, Alberto Sierra, lives but found nothing.

Elsa Oliver and Sierra are facing child abuse charges in connection with Jeremiah's disappearance. The pair appeared in Fitchburg District Court on Tuesday. Oliver was ordered held on $100,000 bail and Sierra was held without bail.

Authorities fear the boy is dead, and two social workers have been fired for failing to make required visits to the the child's home.

The 5-year-old's father, Jose Oliver, is trying to gain custody of his two other children. A hearing on his custody bid is scheduled for Jan. 10 in Fitchburg Family Court.

Another search for the boy is likely next weekend, family members said.

WBZ-TV's Jim Smith contributed to this report.

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