LEESBURG, Fla. -- The father of a 2-year-old boy who has been missing since August credited controversial talk show host Nancy Grace after investigators announced they believe the boy is now alive and that his mother may have given him away, according to Local 6 News.

"A lot of people say it is just a ratings scam, but to me, I've met Nancy Grace and I've talked to her personally while a lot of people have not," Trenton Duckett's father, Josh, said. "To me, she is very sincere and wanting to help in any way possible and to me she is showing a great deal of accomplishment with everything she is doing."

Grace came under fire for her aggressive questioning of Melinda Duckett on the day before she committed suicide on Sept. 8. Duckett reported her son missing in August but was a prime suspect in his disappearance.

Grace's visit Thursday to Central Florida for a live show about the case coincides with new developments in the search for the boy.

A Wendy's worker said she served Melinda and Trenton the day the boy disappeared.

"The first food that Melinda purchased didn't appear to be something that you would feed to a 2-year-old," Marion County sheriff's Detective Rhonda Stroup said.

Police said about 20 minutes after the first purchase, the worker claims Duckett returned to the Wendy's drive-through and purchased some chicken nuggets.

The employee said she thought Duckett apparently forgot to buy her son some food during the first visit. But, when Duckett's silver Mitsubishi approached the window again, the boy was not inside the vehicle.

"(Now) not only do investigators think the 2-year-old is still alive, they believe Trenton's mother Melinda may have gotten rid of him within miles of a Wendy's restaurant in Belleview," Local 6's Mike DeForest said.

Local 6 reported that the investigation may include Duckett's ties to the adult entertainment industry.

Local 6 recently uncovered explicit sex videos of Duckett being sold over the Internet before she committed suicide.

Trenton's father, Josh, and private investigators are looking into who purchased or helped create the adult movies.

Detectives are following up on leads in the case Thursday.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.