BOISE -- It was one year ago today that the Boise Police Department asked the public to get involved in the search for third grader Robert Manwill.
From June 23, when he was initially reported missing, to August 3 when his body was found -- his story captivated thousands.
Now, his mother Melissa Jenkins and her former boyfriend Daniel Ehrlick are charged with his murder.
The search
One year ago, the Boise Police Department put a lot of resources into finding 8-year-old Robert Manwill.
While the search started quietly the night he went missing, it quickly turned into a more desperate search for the missing boy.
At this point, we don't know where Robert is, said Deputy Chief Jim Kerns with the Boise Police Dept. We're trying to determine what has happened, and we're pleading with the public for their assistance in locating Robert Manwill.
From flyers and stopped cars, to combing neighborhoods, to canal banks - police with volunteers by their side were determined to find Robert Manwill.
Hours turned into days, and those days increased the desperation to find the boy.
He's just a kid, said Eldon Manwill, Robert's cousin. No one should be missing for this long, especially a kid.
After a week, police called for more volunteers and what they got was unprecedented.
It's amazing, said a woman who helped in the search. I couldn't believe how many people were here.
Thousands of strangers - brought together by the cause.
It's just great to live in Boise in a city like that and the community coming together, said Julie Decko, a friend of the family. It makes me feel really proud and I'm proud of the citizens of Boise.
The investigation
Less than a week after he went missing, details of his family s background came to light.
The following night, police searched the apartment of Robert's mother, Melissa Jenkins.
The case is now being investigated by the Boise Police Department as a homicide, Kerns said.
Police remained tight-lipped during the investigation, each day holding a news conference to give updates.
Justice will not be denied for Robert Manwill, said Dep. Chief Jim Kerns.
Robert s relatives pleaded for information.
All we want to do is bring Robert home. So please, if you know anything, if you've seen anything, contact the police department and
help us find Robert, said Trish Burrell, Robert s aunt.
Manwill found
On August 3, Robert was finally found, but the outcome was one that had been feared.
Robert's body was found in the New York Canal in Kuna.
We want to thank our community family for everything they have done for our family and for Robert, Burrell said.
Preliminary results from the autopsy give us reason to believe that 8-year-old Robert Manwill's death was not an accident, Kerns
said. We will determine how and when Robert died, and who is responsible, and we will hold those responsible for Robert's death accountable.
Murder charges
Two weeks later, on August 18, police arrested Robert's mother and her boyfriend on charges of first degree murder.
Court documents say Daniel Ehrlick, Robert's mother's former boyfriend, repeatedly caused acts of brutality and with malice and
forethought murdered Robert.
Melissa Jenkins, Robert's mother, is accused of knowing and not reporting the beatings and eventual death.
Both Ehrlick and Jenkins are currently in jail.
The latest updates on their trials are that the two will be tried separately.
Recently, a judge ordered Jenkins to testify in Ehrlick's trial.
