The McCann's should have been searching.
As other people in the area had been doing, day and night.
Professional advice would contradict that assertion ... for more reasons than one if you stop to think about it.
**Snip
Your Role in the Search: The First 48 HoursIn the initial stage of the search, devote your time to providing information to and answering questions from investigators.
Once you discover that your child is missing, you will desperately want to help with the search.
You may, in fact, wonder how you possibly can stand by and let others look for your child.
But the reality is that in most instances, the best use of your energy is not on the physical search itself.
Rather, you need to provide information to and answer questions from investigators and to be at home in the event your child calls. The checklist Gathering Evidence in the First 48 Hours identifies the most crucial pieces of background information and evidence that law enforcement will need in the search for your child.
http://www.o[Name removed]dp.gov/pubs/childismissing/ch1.html