As a parent the amount of guilt I would feel, should something like that happen to my 3 year old, would be overwhelming. Feel so bad for the family.
I think sinkholes are plausible for the sudden disappearance, but you would think a 2 year old traveling over rough terrain even for ten minutes should narrow the search quite a bit from the last known location. However, with the recent weather I’m afraid this is just as grim.
One thing that sticks out to me is this statement made by the sheriff:
“The frustrating side, the bewildering side, is that we’ve found nothing,” said Deputy Sheriff Tom Mapes with the Madison County Sheriff’s Department. “All this manpower, all the technical, infrared sightings, hundreds of volunteers going arm-to-arm through all these acres. Nothing, absolutely nothing.”
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/noah-chamberlin-hundreds-search-missing-tennessee-2-year-old-n499431
To me it rules out a lot of predators that would snatch a child with it’s teeth, barring any predatory winged creatures. It suggests to me a creature that can grab and carry… human or otherwise.