SAN DIEGO (AP) — A neighbor of the 7-year-old girl who vanished from her home last weekend said Thursday that he has hired an attorney after police questioned him several times and seized his property.

David Westerfield, 49, an engineer who lives two doors from the home of the girl, has not been charged in the case. His attorney, Steven Feldman, declined to discuss the matter with reporters.

"There's an ongoing investigation," Feldman said.

Danielle van Dam was reported missing Saturday morning. According to her parents, she was put to bed the night before by her father, who stayed home with Danielle and her two brothers while her mother was at a bar.

While not using his name, police have described Westerfield as a "potential suspect" who voluntarily cooperated during several police interviews and searches of his home.

Westerfield has told reporters that he saw the girl's mother at the bar Friday night. He also has said he went away for the weekend and later showed police the locations in the desert east of San Diego.

His motor home and sport utility vehicle were impounded. The SUV was returned, but police have kept the motor home and more than a dozen boxes and bags of items taken from his home.

Danielle's parents, Damon and Brenda van Dam, left home Thursday with investigators for an undisclosed destination. Police have said the parents are not considered suspects, and Brenda van Dam, 39, has said she passed a lie detector test administered by police.

The parents have said they have only a passing acquaintance with Westerfield.

"He's an acquaintance. He's not a friend," the girl's father said Wednesday. "We've seen him since we moved in. We wave to him, we say hello to him when we drive by."