An 11-year-old boy from El Paso County, Colorado, has been missing for a week. On Thursday, police upgraded the search status to an endangered missing child, CBS Denver reports.

Gannon Stauch was last seen by his stepmother, Letecia "Tecia" Stauch, on January 27 between 3 and 4 p.m., when he left his house to visit a friend who lives down the street, according to police.

At a press conference Wednesday, police said they had reason to believe Stauch ran away from home. The upgrade in severity of the search is due to a combination of the amount of time that has passed since the boy was last seen, the cold weather and the fact that Stauch requires medication.

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The designation of endangered missing child means that the El Paso County Sheriff's Office can request help from the FBI crimes abduction division and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to CBS Denver. The boy's father is a member of the National Guard, which is also assisting in the search "in 100% non-duty volunteer status."

Stauch's mother, Landen Hiott, pleaded for anybody with information to come forward and begged her missing son to come home. Stauch's father also spoke briefly, but was unable to say much before becoming overwhelmed by emotion. He thanked his community for their support and also pleaded for his son to come home.

According to a police description, Stauch is 4'9" and weighs about 90 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue jacket with a hood, jeans and sneakers.