The reward for the arrest and conviction of the man who abducted, raped and released an 11-year-old Wheeling girl is up to $17,870.

Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp. donated $10,000 to the reward fund, officials said Tuesday.

"It's ... a motivation for somebody that has the information that can cause them to call us with that information, and I think it's definitely a symbol to the public of how important it is to solve this case," said Wheeling Police Chief Kevin Gessler.

Gessler urged parents to talk openly with their children about keeping safe.

"We need to take this personally because this person has attacked one of our children," Gessler said.

"All the energy that people have, they need to take that energy and channel that into prevention. ... Prevention is the key."

While the reward fund is growing, the FBI operations have been scaled back. Gessler said there is no longer a need for the full FBI command post in Wheeling but assured residents there are still investigators working full time to find the abductor.

"We still have what it takes to get this job done," he said. "We're not going to stop until it comes to a close."

Gessler said the community's support with tips and the reward fund overwhelms him but doesn't surprise him.

"When we see that type of response from the community, then our determination just gets more energy each time that we see it," he said.

Anyone with information is asked to call police.

Stay with NEWS9 for continuing coverage.

-Renee Cardelli & Jasmine Lo, NEWS9