Very little information has been released about the boy.

Police and school officials have said the child is 6, but a state representative in close contact with the family said he is 5 and will turn 6 in two weeks.

One thing is for certain: the kindergartner didn't know Dykes, State Rep. Steve Clouse said.

Through a 60-foot-long PVC pipe that extends into the bunker, authorities have pleaded with the suspect to let the boy go -- to no avail.

The man agreed to let police send down coloring books, crayons and the prescription medicine the little boy desperately needs for Asperger's syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

But nothing else has changed.

As the standoff dragged into Thursday, the boy's parents were doing their best to hold it together.

They were "holding on by a thread," Clouse said.

The scene

On Thursday, dozens of law enforcement vehicles clogged the dead-end dirt road that leads to Dykes' house. They were from local police, the FBI, even the federal Homeland Security department.

Authorities evacuated neighbors. Officials closed schools in three nearby districts for the week.

With little movement, police have been reluctant to share much with the media.

Authorities called off a planned news conference late Wednesday night, saying there was nothing new to report. Early Thursday morning, Dale County Sheriff Wally Olson gave reporters a similar message, but said officers and volunteers trying to resolve the situation were holding up well.

Late Thursday night, Olson addressed reporters again. And again, the information he provided was limited, even as he repeatedly thanked the gathered media for their efforts and patience.

"Negotiators continue to communicate with the suspect," Olson said, "and there's no reason to believe the child has been harmed."

A reporter asked what the community could do to help.

"Pray," the sheriff said.

"Pray."