Pumps brought out to help in search

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Water is being drained from a retention pond in which rescue crews have been searching for clues about two missing Pasadena children.

Pumps were brought out in hopes that removing some of the water might help police locate the two children who have been missing since Sunday.

"We are in the process, at least the preliminary stages, of draining the pond, at least in part," said Captain Bud Corbett with the Pasadena Police Department. "That will give us a better sense of what's on the bottom."

Captain Corbett told the media late Friday afternoon that the bottom of the retention pond is making it difficult for the sonar to detect anything, so they're hoping by removing some or all of the water, they'll better to able to search for any clues about where Randy Sylvester, Jr., 7, and his sister, Denim, 3, might be.

It's been five days now since the children have been seen alive. But that hasn't stopped volunteers from holding out hope. And it hasn't stopped police from doing all they can to find them, even bringing their father out to the search area.

Earlier in the day, bound in handcuffs and clothed in bright orange, the father suspected of in the disappearance of those two children walked with investigators through an area where volunteers searched Friday.

Randy Sylvester, Sr., first showed up around 3pm Friday. Police say he is now the only suspect in the cae. Walking in shackled and wearing an orange Harris County jail jumpsuit, he was walked along the water's edge. By Sylvester's side was community activist Quanell X.

He was brought there in hopes he would lead police to evidence that could help police find his missing two children.

Friday's search focused on the retention pond. A Houston police dive team boat unloaded special sonar equipment into the muddy water.

Besides comments reportedly made by Sylvester earlier this week that led them to believe the children were dead, specially trained police tracking dogs hit on Sylvester's scent Thursday at the lake at Crenshaw Park as well as that nearby retention pond.

All week, hundreds of people volunteered to help find the children, searching the nearby area. Hopes were high that the children would be found Friday. But those hopes were dashed for the volunteers and police as no evidence was found.

Shortly before 5pm Friday, Sylvester was put back in a deputy's car and taken away. Earlier on Friday, Sylvester appeared in court for a probable cause hearing. He is being held without bail on charges of assaulting a family member, his wife Jerilynn St. Cyr, Monday night.

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