SAN DIEGO -- District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said that there is insufficient evidence to file charges in connection with the 2002 disappearance of 2-year-old Jahi Turner.

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"This case has been a priority among law enforcement officials ever since this child vanished. It was thoroughly investigated by the San Diego Police Department. Our office did an additional investigation. We assigned two veteran prosecutors and an investigator to scrutinize all of the evidence. This case has undergone an exhaustive review and unfortunately, still there is no closure," Dumanis said in a statement.

San Diego police homicide Lt. Jim Duncan told the San Diego Union-Tribune that investigators still think the boy was killed, but prosecutors decided not to risk losing a murder trial in case new evidence should surface later.

Jahi disappeared April 25, 2002.

The boy's stepfather, Tieray Jones, (pictured, left) told police he took the boy to a Balboa Park playground from a nearby apartment, where they lived.

Jones said he left Jahi alone for 15 minutes to buy a soda. When he returned, he said, the boy was gone.

Jahi has not been seen since, and Duncan said that Jones remains a suspect.

A day before Jahi was reported missing, law enforcement officials said a witness saw Jones lugging what appeared to be a large duffel bag, satchel or garbage bag to a trash bin near his Golden Hill apartment complex.

The information generated an exhaustive search by authorities of a section of the Miramar landfill, but nothing related to the disappearance was found.

Jones has denied having anything to do with his stepson's disappearance.

Jones and Jahi lived in an apartment on Beech Street near Balboa Park. The boy's mother, Tameka Jones, was a sailor who was deployed at sea when her husband reported Jahi missing.

Law-enforcement officials familiar with the case told the Union-Tribune that witnesses contradicted Jones' story about being in Balboa Park with Jahi, and no witnesses could place the child in the park that day.

Despite the bleak outlook, the case remains open.

"We have not forgotten this little boy. His disappearance still weighs heavy on our hearts. We encourage the public to report any new information about this case to law enforcement. The case remains open and any new evidence will be considered," Dumanis said.