JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The talk inside the WCGL 1360 AM radio studio in North Jacksonville Thursday was all about all about missing 21-month-old Lonzie Barton.
It has now been seven days since the toddler's mother Lonna Lauramore allegedly left him in the care of her boyfriend Ruben Ebron, 32.
Police say Ebron is not cooperating with their investigation and now hundreds of law enforcement officers from the across the country have joined in the search.
"As you go on longer and longer, the case gets colder and colder," said Opio Sokoni, past president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference who was guest hosting the weekly Impact Radio show Thursday. He and reporter Ken Martin were standing in for Clara McLaughlin, the publisher and editor of the Northeast Florida African-American newspaper The Florida Star.
So far, McLaughlin is the only media contact that Ebron has spoken with since he reported Lonzie had been abducted. She told Action News she became aware that the Ebron family was familiar with her work earlier in the week and took a chance by requesting a sit-down interview with him.
For two hours Wednesday, she and a reporter listened to Ebron behind bars in the Duval County Jail. She told Action News his demeanor was calm and pleasant, but frustrated. He tells her he has been nothing but cooperative with investigators and believes police have targeted him, instead of looking for other potential suspects.
McLaughlin will not yet reveal exactly what Ebron's story is, but said it is very different from what police have so far revealed in their investigation.
"It's not about whether I believe him. This story includes only what he told me happened that night. I don't know what happened, but I think the public will be surprised by what he has to say," she said.
The Florida Star will be distributed throughout Jacksonville, but mainly on the Northside Friday morning, where the search for Lonzie is now focused.
Action News has and will continue to request an interview with Ebron as well.
WJAX
