The mother of a 9-year-old boy is a suspect in his abduction at gunpoint early Wednesday from his Palm Desert home, authorities said, announcing a $46,000 reward for information leading to the child.

Authorities had said Wednesday that they wanted to talk to Debra Rose, 38, of Colorado Springs but that she was not a suspect.

But Thursday afternoon, they found Rose's pickup abandoned in the area of Stateline, Nev., and said her friend, identified as Carla Bender of Colorado Springs, might be with her.

"We do believe they are intimately involved in the kidnapping of Nicholas at this time," said Riverside County Undersheriff Bob Doyle at a news conference Thursday afternoon. "We still do feel that Nicholas could be in danger."

A caller's tip, including the number of the Colorado paper license plate, led to the pickup. Doyle, the sheriff-elect, would not say where the truck was found.

By now, Nicholas, the two women and the two men who grabbed the boy could be anywhere, said Doyle, who asked the public's help in finding them.

Father's frantic call

Authorities also played an edited version of Michael Farber's frantic 911 call from a cellular phone shortly after 2 a.m. Wednesday.

"They stole my son!" Farber gasped to a dispatcher, who asked him to calm down and tell him what happened.

Farber, who had been beaten, had called from his front yard and neighbors heard him yelling from across the street. Farber said men had taken the boy in a Land Cruiser or similar SUV parked about a block and a half away.

The dispatcher again tried to calm Farber, who yelled, "No, they kidnapped my kid."

Earlier Thursday, Farber appealed for the return of his son, asking anyone with information, including his ex-wife, to call 911.

"If my ex-wife is out there and she just hasn't come forward, please come forward now," Farber said.

Farber, dressed in black and limping, would not answer questions during the news conference Thursday afternoon in Palm Desert. In brief comments, Farber said he had gone to answer the door about 2 a.m. Wednesday but did not open it. Two men burst in. "Before I knew it, they had overcome me and given me a pretty good beating and taken my son away."

During the news conference, Doyle told Farber authorities were doing everything they could to find Nicholas. Without elaborating, Doyle said the intruders tried to force pills down Farber's throat during the abduction.

Nationwide search

The FBI is pursuing hundreds of telephone calls nationwide regarding Nicholas. Authorities have not heard from Nicholas or any suspects since the abduction, Doyle said. It's possible they are in another country, he said.

"We have not heard from Carla Bender, we have not heard from Debra Rose," Doyle said. "We just need to talk to her."

Bender had recently moved into a Colorado Springs house, paying rent for July, and Rose moved in with her several weeks ago. An eviction notice was on the door of the home this week, citing failure to pay August rent. No one appeared home and the blinds were drawn.

Farber gained temporary custody of Nicholas on Aug. 23, according to Orange County Superior Court records, after declaring he believed his son would be in danger if he remained with Rose.

In the documents, Farber said Rose was a drug addict who was emotionally disturbing to children. Farber had gone to Colorado to pick up his son, and they had lived in Palm Desert in recent weeks.

Rose has been married five times, court records show. Farber was her third husband.

Concern for boy's safety

Doyle based his concern for Nicholas' safety partly on reports about Rose's background. "She may not necessarily be in a stable condition at this time," he said.

In Colorado Springs, Rose's fourth husband made a plea Thursday for the boy's safe return. "Find him," said Stanley Rose who said he raised Nicholas for six years, from ages 2 to 8, after Farber's marriage to Debra Rose ended.

Stanley and Debra Rose were due in a Colorado Springs courtroom Thursday to resolve mutual temporary restraining orders. The restraining orders alleged threats of violence on both sides.

After Debra Rose failed to appear, the judge dismissed her filing and granted the restraining order filed against her. He ordered Debra Rose to have no contact with the Roses' two children, except for emergencies, and to stay at least 100 yards from Stanley Rose.

Riverside County Supervisor Roy Wilson's office announced a $25,000 reward Thursday. The FBI added $20,000 and a local Crimestoppers program added $1,000 for information leading to Nicholas.

Authorities asked anyone with information to call 911 or the Riverside County sheriff's hotline at (760) 836-1632.

Staff writers Elena Arnold and Lisa O'Neill Hill and the Rocky Mountain News contributed to this report.

How To Call

Authorities asked anyone with information to call 911 or the Riverside County sheriff's hot line at (760) 836-1632.