(AP) WATERVILLE, Maine - Law enforcement officials said Thursday for the first time that they believe a toddler who disappeared in the days leading up to Christmas is no longer alive.






Officials pressing for more information about Ayla Reynolds' whereabouts also announced at a news conference that a $30,000 reward for information on the case will expire June 30. They appealed for anyone with information leading to Ayla's whereabouts to contact police.





"To the person or persons responsible for her disappearance, we ask that you now come forward, accept responsibility for what you have done, show us that you are human and relieve yourself, Ayla's family and this community of this burden," said John Nale, a lawyer who led the effort to raise the reward money from local residents and businesses.





Ayla was 20 months old when she was reported missing Dec. 17 from her father's home in Waterville. The toddler had last been seen wearing polka dot pajamas with the words "Daddy's Princess" on them. She had a cast on her broken left arm.





Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said investigators remain determined to solve the mystery of Ayla's disappearance.





"It has been 166 days since she was reported missing from her home in Waterville, and the work and the investigation goes on. There will be more searches, more dives and more interviews. And we are in this for the long haul. This case will never close until Ayla is found," McCausland said.





Before the news conference, detectives called Ayla's parents to deliver the somber news that they no longer believe she'll be found alive. Asked if police believe a crime was committed, McCausland said, "We believe foul play has been involved ... this is a criminal investigation."





In Portland, Ayla's mother, Trista Reynolds, and her father and mother, burst into tears while watching the news conference.





"Everybody broke down. I'm still crying. I'm still hurting now," said Ronald Reynolds, Ayla's grandfather, in Portland. "Why Ayla? She never bothered anybody. She never hurt anybody. Why hurt Ayla?"





"My worst nightmare has come true," said Trista Reynolds on video captured from her father's home.





Ayla's father, Justin DiPietro, told police he was thankful for the information, said McCausland, adding, "His reaction was no reaction."





DiPietro has said he thinks Ayla was abducted, but police say there's no evidence of that. No arrests have been made in the case.





State police confirmed that Ayla's blood was found in DiPietro's house and said DiPietro, his girlfriend and his sister who were there the night Ayla disappeared know more than they're telling police.





Police repeated that assertion on Thursday when asked about the father. "We believe he knows more than he's told us," McCausland said.





Neither DiPietro nor a lawyer hired by members of his family returned a call. There was no answer when a reporter knocked on DiPietro's door.





After Ayla was reported missing, dozens of game wardens, FBI agents and local and state police officers participated in the search in this central Maine city of 16,000 residents about 20 miles north of the state capital, Augusta.





Police checked trash bins and FBI agents knocked on doors. Officials even went so far as to drain a stream so wardens could get a better look.





Recently, divers searched the Kennebec River and retrieved some items. Investigators declined to comment on those items Thursday.





Investigators said that they have received more than 1,100 tips and that people shouldn't expect it to be solved overnight, McCausland said. "This isn't `CSI' where everything is solved in 60 minutes," he said.

Wife: FBI Didn't Rule Out Foul Play in Cruise Disappearance

So strange to now read about this on Greenwich Time's website, my uncle and I were talking about this case one night on our trip to Florida- my uncle knows some of George's friends and said he was drinking absynthe that night, and really fell over the balcony on his own accord, and that his chair was left right out near the rail to indicate he was sitting there, as well.

Greenwich Times - Four years after Greenwich resident George Smith IV went missing on a honeymoon cruise, his widow continues to maintain the incident may have been an accident.

However, testimony unsealed Monday reveals that one of Jennifer Hagel Smith's own attorneys believes Smith died as the result of foul play.

"My belief, I think that there was foul play. I've always thought that," said attorney James Walker, the maritime attorney for Hagel Smith.

"And as I go through this case, I'm concerned that there is foul play. I don't believe in coincidences."

Smith was on a Royal Caribbean Mediterranean cruise in 2005 when he went missing. His body was never found, although there were blood stains on an overhang below the couple's private
balcony aboard the Brilliance of the Seas ship. The newly released testimony stems from a 2008 probate court battle in which Smith's family was contesting a settlement reached between his widow and the cruise line.

During his testimony, Walker pointed the finger at four men who were last seen with Smith the night he vanished as potential suspects.

"If anyone was involved in foul play, it was going to be one of those four men," Walker said.

The 2008 testimony also zeroed in on a meeting between the two families and the Department of Justice where U.S. Attorney Peter Jongbloed allegedly told Hagel Smith that his office believed foul play likely was involved.

Attorney Michael Jones, who represents the Smith family, grilled Hagel Smith about what was said at the meeting.

Under cross-examination, Jones asked Hagel Smith, "Do you recall Mr. Jongbloed actually interjecting and looking right at you and saying, 'Jennifer, we also believe there was foul play' -- meaning the Department of Justice and the FBI?"

Hagel Smith said, "No, he said, "If we didn't think there was a possibility of foul play or something, then we wouldn't be investigating this."

Jones continued, saying, "You don't recall him saying that they felt there was actually -- that it really wasn't an accident, that there was something that happened that was more along the lines of foul play?"

Hagel Smith replied, "Well, I mean, it's kind of -- because what I took from that is also the fact they said they didn't have anything pointing at somebody or in the specific direction."

Jones declined comment on that dialogue.

Hagel Smith's father, John Hagel, said Monday the FBI told his family they believe it is a 50/50 scenario whether Smith died of foul play or from an accident.

"The FBI and the U.S. attorney's office are not going to commit to an opinion either way," Hagel said. "They are on the fence, that's what we were told. At the same time, they have not been able to provide us any evidence of foul play."

However, Jones said the Smith family is certain their son was killed.

"The Smith family believes there was foul play," Jones said. "The FBI investigation is open and active, which means they must believe it was more than an accident."

After Smith's disappearance, a divide formed between the two families, particularly after Hagel Smith accepted a $1.1 million settlement with the cruise line, which the probate court upheld despite an outcry from Smith's family, who claimed their son was worth more. The Smith family has alleged that Hagel Smith rushed to settle to avoid embarrassing details coming to light about her behavior the night Smith vanished.

Hagel's family said the probate court validated their daughter's settlement, noting it was reasonable. An appeal of the probate court's decision is pending in state Superior Court in Stamford.

"The Smiths continue to let their emotions cloud facts in this case that cannot be disputed," Hagel said. "The Smiths will not even consider the possibility that George's use of prescription drugs and alcohol could have played a role in his death."

Jones pointed out that the Hagels have no evidence Smith was using prescription drugs, as evidenced by their testimony.

While the FBI has not released any information pertaining to their investigation, as is customary for the agency, Jones said his clients are hopeful that justice will prevail.

"The Smith family is very grateful for the work the FBI and Department of Justice have done in the case," Jones said. "We are very hopeful their continued good work will result in them identifying George's killer."

-- Staff Writer Debra Friedman can be reached at debra.friedman@scni.com or 625-4439.