Mom appeals for California boy's return

SAN DIEGO - The mother of a missing 2-year-old boy appealed for his safe return Tuesday, five days after he vanished in Balboa Park. His stepfather said he had left the boy alone for about 15 minutes to get a soda. <br> <br> ``I just want them to drop him off in a safe place so that someone can find him and bring him back home and to let him know that we love him and want him to come back,&#39;&#39; Tameka Jones said on NBC&#39;s ``Today&#39;&#39; show. <br> <br> Jahi Turner disappeared Thursday. Police, sheriff&#39;s deputies and volunteers searched for him in the canyons and neighborhoods around the park, one of the nation&#39;s largest cultural and entertainment complexes, with 15 museums and the San Diego Zoo. <br> <br> ``He&#39;s just the sweetest little boy that you could ever see,&#39;&#39; said Jones, an 18-year-old sailor who was aboard the USS Rushmore when her son disappeared. She was brought home by the Navy to help with the investigation. <br> <br> Jahi&#39;s stepfather, Tieray Jones, 23, told police he left the boy alone in a playground for about 15 minutes while he went to get a soda about 150 yards away. <br> <br> ``We&#39;re looking at everything right now,&#39;&#39; Assistant Police Chief George Saldamando said. ``We&#39;re trying to keep an open mind.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> On Monday, police located a woman who the stepfather said was in the area just before Jahi disappeared. She was cooperating with authorities and was not considered a suspect, Saldamando said. Authorities did not disclose what she told investigators. <br> <br> At the time of his disappearance, Jahi had been living in San Diego for less than a week in off-base Navy housing near the park. Before April 21, he was living with his grandmother in Maryland. <br> <br> This is the second high-profile missing child case in San Diego in just over three months. <br> <br> In February, 7-year-old Danielle van Dam was abducted from her bedroom in north San Diego in the middle of the night. Her body was found along a rural road east of El Cajon three weeks later. <br> <br> A 50-year-old neighbor, David Westerfield, has been charged with her kidnap and murder. <br> <br> Danielle&#39;s mother, Brenda, is assisting Tameka Jones in making media appeals. <br> <br> ``I know all too well what she&#39;s feeling inside,&#39;&#39; van Dam said in a joint appearance with her on the ``Today&#39;&#39; show. ``I wanted to help her any way I could.&#39;&#39;