ROCK ISLAND, Illinois -- Family and friends held a candlelight vigil last night, Thursday, July 26, for Hawk Newberry.
The two - year -old boy fell into the Mississippi River late Tuesday night, sparking first a rescue effort and now a recovery search.
They gathered at what they call "Hawk's spot" in Schwiebert Riverfront Park in Rock Island, where the boy was last seen.
They said prayers, shared stories, and sang songs to remember the boy.
They also threw purple flowers into the river, because in their favorite picture of Newberry, he holds a purple flower.
"We decided to do real purple flowers tonight and to toss them out to that little guy out there and hopes that it'll bring him to us. I hope it helps him find his way to us and will let us get him back," Renee Alcock, Newberry's cousin, said.
Rescue crews have spent the last two days searching, but have come up empty.
The family says they're searching the river on their own.
They plan to continue, even if the formal search is called off.