SAN DIEGO -- The search for missing South Park 2-year-old Jahi Turner resumed Monday after a day of prayer.

The suspension of the search -- now 18 days old -- came at the suggestion of the toddler's grandmother, Penny Thompson, who visited several area churches to pray for his safe return.

MISSING JAHI TURNER Light-skinned African-American 30 pounds, 30 inches tall Black hair Wearing blue "Winnie the Pooh" T-shirt, blue pants, and gray tennis shoes INFORMATION SDPD Juvenile Hotline: (619) 744-9521 Tip Hotline: (619) 235-8477 Friends of Jahi Recovery Centre: (619) 266-3677 Download A Missing Flyer SOUND OFF Share Your Thoughts

On Saturday, mounted officers from Chula Vista joined San Diego police in sweeps through Florida Canyon, a short distance from the neighborhood playground where the toddler's stepfather reported him missing April 25.

The operations stemmed from no specific tip but were carried out to ensure that the brushy arroyo had been thoroughly scoured for any evidence in the case, said SDPD information officer Dave Cohen.

Also on Saturday, more than 100 people working out of a makeshift headquarters at a YMCA building in the Mountain View area spent another day searching for any sign of the boy.

Police said Jahi's stepfather, Tieray Jones, 23, left the child in a Balboa Park recreation area with a woman and two other children while he walked a few hundred yards to buy a vending-machine soda.

When he returned, his stepson was gone, along with the others, the man reported.

Jahi's disappearance, which investigators soon described as an abduction, prompted an all-out law enforcement probe and volunteer searches reminiscent of those carried out for 7-year-old Danielle van Dam in February.

Police have declined to address news reports that Jahi apparently was not where his stepfather said he was the day he went missing, or that Jones failed a lie detector test.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that police did not find the boy's fingerprints on recreation equipment in the playground off 28th and Beech streets, where Jones said they had been that Thursday.

The child's mother, Tameka Jones, 18, is a sailor who was at sea when her son disappeared. Her Navy commanders allowed her to immediately return to shore to help in the search.

Jahi is 2 1/2 feet tall, light-skinned African American who weighs about 30 pounds.

At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a blue "Winnie the Pooh" long-sleeve T-shirt, blue nylon pants with an orange drawstring and gray Michael Jordan tennis shoes, according to his stepfather.

Police urged anyone with information concerning Jahi's whereabouts to call the SDPD's Central Division "juvenile hotline" at (619) 744-9521, or San Diego County Crime Stoppers' anonymous tip service at (619) 235-8477.

The number for the Jahi Recovery Centre is: (619) 266-3677.