Dylan Redwine's 14th Birthday Marked

The suspicion of Mark Redwine, Dylan Redwine's father, is something the family is becoming more comfortable with in public.  

Mark Redwine has not given a reliable denial in the disappearance of his son.  

What was supposed to be a day of celebration was another day of gut-wrenching pain for the family of Dylan Redwine, a Monument boy who vanished in southwest Colorado while visiting his father over Thanksgiving break.

Dylan turned 14 on Wednesday. His family and friends sang happy birthday, ate cake with white and blue frosting, played music and blew up balloons.

But they didn’t celebrate. Without the guest of honor, they couldn’t.

Instead, more than 50 people marked Dylan’s birthday during a somber gathering at Limbach Park, shining lights — or “beams of hope” — into the dark sky as a light snow began to fall. Similar gatherings were held in Farmington, N.M., and Bayfield, the town in southwest Colorado where Dylan once lived.

Dylan disappeared during a visit with his father, Mark Redwine, in the Vallecito area near Bayfield. Authorities have said they don’t believe Dylan ran away, but extensive searches in Vallecito have turned up few clues as to his whereabouts.

Family members believe Mark Redwine isn’t telling investigators everything he knows about Dylan’s whereabouts.

“No child disappears just like poof. It’s impossible,” said Dylan’s 76-year-old grandmother, Maria Goodall.

Goodall, who has terminal cancer, said she had celebrated every birthday with Dylan since he was born.

“I want to see him before I die, and it won’t be long anymore, so I have to see him,” she said.

Wednesday’s gathering started with a prayer by Dylan’s older brother, Cory, who asked the Lord to bring his little brother back home safely.

“We’re all very, very sad he can’t be here to join us. It’s probably the hardest day out of all of them so far in the past 2 ½ months,” Cory told the crowd.

Elaine Redwine, Dylan’s mother, said she wanted to have a birthday gathering for all the people who love and care for Dylan.

“It’s important to keep his face out there and keep his story out there so that anybody who knows anything or sees anything can bring Dylan home, help us bring Dylan home,” she said.

Elaine Redwine said she and her older son have been pleading with Dylan’s father.

“Dr. Phil is offering to put us on this Wednesday,” she said, referring to daytime talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw.

“I would love for (Mark Redwine) to join us,” she said. “It’s very important that we get this information about Dylan out there. As I’ve said all along, this is only about finding Dylan, and we need to work together as a team to do this.”