Maddox Ritch went missing while he was with his dad at a park over the weekend.
While authorities are not allowing the public to help in the search, many gathered for a vigil last night to show their support.
The 6-year-old brought together a crowd of strangers trying not to lose hope. Maddox still has not returned home.
"That's probably the hardest thing to grasp," Joe Mcfann, a Gastonia resident said.
"To have people taken away from you that shouldn't. We shouldn't have to be here," Liz Hyde, another Gastonia resident said.
Maddox's father says the boy ran into the woods in the busy park and got out of his view.
The FBI has joined the investigation and search.