MUSCOY >> He vanished into thin air more than 20 years ago.

Scott Echols was 9 years old when a knock at the door at 2:30 a.m. July 26, 1992, changed the lives of the Echols family forever.

Twenty-five years later, they still have no answers.

“We’ve never been able to actually grieve and get any kind of closure,” Don Echols said about his missing brother. “It’s been over 20 years and we still don’t know what happened to him.”

On that warm July night, Scott’s parents were asleep with two of their other children in the bedroom. Scott was asleep on the couch in the living room of their Muscoy home when someone knocked on the door.

“His family woke up the next morning and he was missing,” San Bernardino County Deputy District Attorney Denise Yoakum said. “The Sheriff’s Department did a door-to-door search for him and handed out numerous fliers. He was very outgoing.”

Everybody in the neighborhood knew who Scott was.

“We didn’t live in the greatest area but Scotty was a typical boy and was very much so loved by us all,” Echols recalled. “There’s a void in our hearts and we as a family need to know what happened.”

Investigators still to this day have no leads, but they continue their search for answers.

“Someone out there knows what happened to him,” Yoakum said. “We’re not going to stop looking until we have all the answers.”

Authorities received several leads at the time, but none of them panned out.

The case has haunted the law enforcement community over the years.

“There are no suspects. No clues. He just disappeared,” Yoakum said. “Retired detectives still call about the case. They have not forgotten Scott.”

Scott’s family lived in dire conditions but their lack of fortune hasn’t prevented officials from their continued search.

“We just want justice for Scott and his family,” Yoakum said. “The law must protect everyone equally, it doesn’t matter if they are rich or poor or where they came from.”

Echols would be 33 years old today.

Investigators and Scott’s family are pleading with the public to help them piece together what happened.

“If there’s a slim glimmer of hope we’ll take it,” Echols said. “This shattered all of our lives. If anyone knows anything, please contact detectives. Please help us get closure.”

Anyone with information regarding this case may call San Bernardino County sheriff’s detectives at 909-387-3589 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

“Children don’t disappear into thin air,” Yoakum said. “Someone out there knows what happened to Scott and they need to come forward with that information.”