KOTA KINABALU (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - As a massive search continues for missing toddler Low Min You, the father of the three-year-old boy may find himself in legal trouble.

Police are looking into the possibility of charging Mr Low Yee Sheng, 31, with negligence, Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib said.

He said state CID chief Senior Asst Comm Omar Mammah was leading the probe on whether Mr Low, a CCTV installer, should be charged in court.

"He had left the child in the vehicle with the engine running. So, we have to ascertain whether there are elements of negligence involved here," Mr Hamza added.

Min You was sleeping in the back seat of the vehicle when his father left the engine running while he went to the toilet at a petrol kiosk in Kampung Air near the city's downtown area at 5.50am on Friday.

The car was recovered at about 9.30am at the Atkinson Tower car park area, along Signal Hill, about 2.5km away the same day, but the boy was missing. His milk bottle and bag were still inside the vehicle.

Following the disappearance, the family announced a RM20,000 (S$7,735) reward through the social network site Facebook for Min You's safe return.

Mr Hamza said police were continuing their search for the toddler with extra attention at bus terminals, jetties, the Kota Kinabalu International Airport and the Sabah-Sarawak border.

"We are checking buses and other vehicles crossing the border," he said, adding that they had no leads as yet.

Police, who have classified the case as kidnapping and vehicle theft, have alerted and distributed photos of the boy to all the police personnel in the state as well as at the exit points in Sabah.