Father of missing 5-year-old boy: 'I just want him to come home'
WICHITA, Kan. -- The father of a 5-year-old boy who has been missing since Saturday said he still believes his son is still alive and he is focused on finding him.
"Lucas is the sweetest, softest-hearted, kindest little kid I ever met," he said. "I'm so proud to be able to be his father. I miss him very much. I love him very much and I just want him to come home."
WATCH: Missing boy's father: 'I just want him to come home'
On Wednesday, Wichita police arrested the boy's stepmother, 26-year-old Emily Glass, on two counts of child endangerment. Glass was the last person to see her 5-year-old stepson, Lucas Hernandez, before he went missing.
"The charges are related to new information gathered during this investigation," Deputy Police Chief Gavin Seiler said Wednesday afternoon. "Officers and investigators have been working on this case non-stop."
Seiler said the two child endangerment counts related to Lucas and a 1-year-old child. He did not release details on the alleged incidents, but said more charges could be coming.
WATCH: Police announce charges against missing boy's stepmother
Wichita police have said that Glass last saw Lucas when she then took a shower and fell asleep. Officers were notified around 6:15 p.m. that the boy was missing.
"We hope that we are able to find Lucas," Seiler said.
The news of the arrest isn't surprising to some of the child's family members. Lucas's great aunt, Sally Rasmussen, released photos only to KAKE showing bruises on Lucas's body.
Rasmussen says the photos were taken in May 2017. They show bruises on the child's face, arm, back and buttocks. Rasmussen says the photos were included in a report she filed with the Kansas Department for Children and Families last year. The boy's father spoke about those allegations as well.
"I'm sorry that they did and that really pisses me off. Only because it seems like it's about something else and it's not happening now," Hernandez said. "Now, if you want to bring that up later that's fine. That's a whole separate issue. I think it's taking away from what's happening and I don't appreciate it. Not from my family, not from strangers."
WATCH: Tips on missing boy lead investigators to park
Meanwhile, Wichita police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation continue to search for a missing 5-year-old boy who was last seen Saturday afternoon.
KAKE reports Lucas Hernandez was last seen around 3 p.m. on Saturday near his home in the 600 block of South Edgemoor. Wichita police said the boy's stepmother last saw Lucas at around 3 p.m. Saturday when she then took a shower and fell asleep. Officers were notified around 6:15 p.m. that the boy was missing.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has deployed its Child Action Rapid Deployment team to assist in the search, and the Wichita Police Department has activated its Emergency Operation Command Center.
Lucas has brown hair and brown eyes, weighs 60 pounds and is four feet tall. He was last known to be wearing black sweats, white socks and a gray shirt with a bear on it. He's a Pre-K student at Beech Elementary School.
Officer Charley Davidson with the Wichita Police Department said Tuesday morning that about 100 law enforcement officials are helping in the search for Lucas.
"We are going to be there as long as it takes," Officer Davidson said. "Right now, our concern is to find Lucas."
Since the weekend, teams have searched Chisholm Creek Park, Dr Glen Day Park, Harrison Park and the boy's neighborhood. Authorities are planning more searches, but Davidson did not say where.
Although people want to start search parties, Davidson said the department has adequate resources to search. He said the best thing people can do is submit tips by calling (316) 383-4661.
RELATIVE SAYS SHE SAW SIGNS OF ABUSE BEFORE BOY'S DISAPPEARANCE
Lucas' great-aunt Sally Rasmussen, who lives in New Mexico, told ABC News that she saw marks on the boy's arms and on his cheek in a photo she saw of him last May.
Rasmussen, who said she's worked with at-risk youth before, said she is familiar with the possible signs of abuse and reported the marks to Kansas Child Protective Services.
Rasmussen said relatives grew more concerned when Lucas and his father, Johnathan Hernandez, visited New Mexico in November. She said they told her they saw more signs of abuse and reported them to authorities in New Mexico.
However, Rasmussen does not believe Lucas' father hurt his son.
"He loves his son dearly!" Rasmussen wrote in a Facebook message to ABC News.
She added that she believes Hernandez, who often travels out of state for work, was out of town working when Lucas disappeared. According to police, Lucas' stepmother told investigators she last saw him in his bedroom just before she took a shower and fell asleep. Police were called to the home about three hours later.
The New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department told ABC News that its cases are confidential and did not confirm whether it has an open case involving Lucas.
The Kansas Department for Children and Families, of which Child Protective Services is a part, said it couldn't share any information on its cases either but expressed worry for Lucas.
"We share the public's concern regarding Lucas Hernandez," Theresa Freed, communications director for Kansas DCF, said in a statement to ABC News. "In the event the agency has information, we will share it with law enforcement, assisting them as requested."
Wichita police confirmed in a media briefing Monday that they have had contact with the family before, but did not elaborate on the nature of that contact.
Authorities said they have as many as 100 officers working the case and have searched the Hernandez home as well as Wichita's Chisholm Trail Park, Grove Park and Harrison Park using horses, dogs and drones, but have found no sign of Lucas.
At a prayer vigil on Monday night, Lucas' father told ABC affiliate KAKE he was thankful for the community's help.
"I think it's good to see people in this community treating Lucas like he's their child," Hernandez said. "This is a serious thing and we want him home."
The family is cooperating with the investigation, authorities said.
ABC News has reached out to other relatives of Lucas, but did not immediately receive a response.
