COLERAIN TOWNSHIP -- It has been almost a week since Mary Jennifer Love disappeared, and community support and search efforts for the 6-year-old seem to be growing rather than fading.
There was still no sign of Mary late Monday. Investigators continued to follow leads from more than 100 calls.
"What you do now isn't as visible," said Col. Daniel Wolfangel, spokesman for the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department. "You retrace steps . . . and follow up on leads."
Neighbors pitch in
While police worked, neighbors tirelessly continued to post fliers and search nearby wooded areas.
Candie White said she has slept a total of about 15 hours since Mary vanished Wednesday night.
MISSING PERSONS
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 In 1997, 980,712 adults and children were reported missing to the National Crime Information Center.
The FBI estimates 85 percent to 90 percent of missing persons are juveniles (about 850,000 of last year's reported missing). In 801,652 of the total cases, foul play was not suspected.
In 106,332 of the total cases, the person was thought to be in the company of another person and in danger.
In 33,908 cases, the person was missing under circumstances indicating an abduction or kidnapping.
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She barely knew Mary or her family last Wednesday when the Colerain Township girl didn't come home for dinner. But as the mother of a 15-year-old son, she can only imagine the pain Mary's parents are feeling and Ms. White wants to help in any way she can.
She's spent the past week rallying Springwood Village apartment residents, spearheading a pink ribbon campaign, searching through wooded areas, and printing and posting fliers of the missing girl. At least 5,000 fliers have been posted across Greater Cincinnati. Pink ribbons adorn trees and car antennas throughout Springwood Village.
Ms. White called Wal-Mart, Michael's Arts & Crafts, Big Lots and other Colerain Township stores for pink ribbon donations. People she doesn't know stop by and ask for fliers to post. Teen girls Monday created posters for people to sign in hopes of Mary's safe return. Above the two pieces of neon posterboard taped to the brick outside Mary's home are signs that say "We miss you Mary."
Family, friends and neighbors have left messages such as "I miss and love you Mary."
The efforts have made the community a better place to live, some said.
Before, among neighbors, it was "Hey, how are you doing?" Ms. White said. "But now we are in and out of each other's houses. We've really become neighbors."
"Something like this will bring you together," added neighbor Edna Jones, 47, who has helped in searching and hanging fliers. "As a mother myself, I would want the world to know."
People are writing messages of hope on posterboard at Mary Love's apartment complex.
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More woods searched
And it's not just people from Colerain Township who are joining in the search. On Monday afternoon, a group of volunteers from as far as Warren County searched through woods surrounding Olympian Club off Pippen Road in Colerain Township.
Mary's maternal grandmother, Jeanette Love, passed out fliers and sent the group on their way to search.
"If it ever happened to me, I would hope people would come out," said Brenda Hazlett, 34, who drove down from Deerfield Township with her children ages 13 and 10, to help in the search.
"It's just the right thing to do," added Tom Meyer, 40, of Colerain Township. "I feel bad for the family. I have a girl that was that age at one time."
Mary was seen in the Springwood Village apartment complex playing with friends outside her apartment about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. She was also thought to have been seen at a nearby AmeriStop the night she vanished.
Mary is described as an African-American, about 3-foot-6, weighing 48 pounds. She has braided hair.
Anyone with information should call the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department at 825-1500.
