Still no sign of missing boy, search goes on

Statement from Kyron Horman's aunt: Statement (pdf)

Printable missing child flier: Kyron flier (pdf).

Update from 4 p.m. news conference.

PORTLAND, Ore. - On day 5 in the search for Skyline School second-grader Kyron Horman, authorities still released little information about the case, continued to urge the public to help them through tips, and said the search is focused on the metro area.

Watch Tuesday's 4 p.m. news conference

 “We are following all leads and are making determinations whether we have criminal elements or we’re just dealing with a missing child,” said Multnomah County sheriff’s Capt. Jason Gates during a 4 p.m. news conference Tuesday. “Nothing’s been left for wanting with the regard of the direction that we’re going. So we’re not prepared to call it a criminal investigation at this point, but we’re certainly prepared to call it a missing and endangered child investigation.”

Gates said he believes Horman's disappearance is an isolated incident, and he said he’s not giving up hope of finding him.

“We’re going to continue this investigation until we have resolution,” he said. “Will eventually the number of resources involved be scaled back? Yes. If it takes that long. My hope is that we’re going to have this wrapped up by the end of the week. That’s my hope. But if it goes longer, we’ll make those determinations as they come with regard to are these resources still helping in this investigation?”

About 99 percent of the school’s 300 students have been interviewed, according to Gates, and that there is a few staff left to go through the interview process.

While he did not want to elaborate on the number of tips his office has received, because he said he didn’t want the public to think they’ve received enough, he said the majority are from Oregon and a few have come from Washington. He said the search has not expanded outside the metro area.

On Monday, he said investigators had received over 1,200 tips.

The FBI remains involved in the case and has headlined a page on its website dedicated to the search for Kyron. Additionally, 22 state, local and federal agencies are helping in the search.

Horman’s family has not yet spoken publicly about his disappearance although his aunt from Medford, Kelly Ramirez, released a statement Monday night. In it she thanked the public for its support and thanked law enforcement agencies for their efforts in the search for the 7-year-old.

Gates said he expected the family to release a statement on Wednesday. He said there is someone with the family 24 hours a day and they are receiving regular updates about the search for Horman.

Horman’s father, Kaine Horman, works at Intel and sent an e-mail to co-workers throughout the region that encouraged them to do what they could to spread the word about his son’s disappearance.

“Forward Kyron's information to as many people as you feel comfortable with,” he wrote. The more people that see this will increase our chances of finding him. Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers for Kyron's safe return."

There have been many questions from the public as to why an Amber Alert was not issued immediately after Horman was discovered missing. Gates said it was simply because they did not have enough details to meet the criteria for an Amber Alert.

“(In) Amber Alerts it’s very important that they’re not used haphazardly,” Gates said. “Amber Alerts are designed to find children very quickly when we have specific pieces of information such as known abductors, license plates, and those types of information.”

According to Gates, law enforcement didn’t even have enough to issue what he called an “Almost Amber Alert”.

He said until investigators believe the case warrants a nationwide search, they want to keep it focused on the general area.

Skyline principal Ben Keefer joined Gates during a noon news conference and reitereated their committment to finding the missing boy.

Keefer said that there were a large number of students absent from the school Monday and Tuesday due to parents keeping their children home but that more students had returned on Tuesday and the school was returning to normal activities.

Skyline has an enrollment of about 300 students and teaches kindergarten through 8th grades. It is located in the rolling hills near Cornelius Pass Road. Homes, small farms, a church and a fire station are located nearby.

Kyron disappeared shortly after he was dropped off at the school last Friday by his stepmother. His father and biological mother are cooperating with the invesigation, according to law enforcement officials.

Kyron was last seen by his stepmother walking towards a classroom for his first class of the day. A short time before, he was photographed participating in a science fair being held during the hour before classes began. He had constructed a project about tree frogs.

In the very short period of time after his stepmother says she last saw him and classes started, he vanished. There were many adults in the building at the time due to the science fair and there was no official check-in for persons at the school.

Kyron was marked as absent from his first class but school officials did not immediately inform his parents, saying truancy was not an issue at the small school. He was not determined to be missing until he failed to exit a school bus at around 3:30 p.m., about seven hours later.

The search for him began about 30 minutes later.

Law enforcement officials have not said if there was a video security system at the school and no photos or video from such a system have been released.

Portland Schools Superindent Carole Smith has since mandated immediate district-wide automated calls to parents if a child is absent from class. Additional child safety security measures have also been implemeted.

Search officials say that at this time that they are not accepting volunteer searchers, but they do encourage anyone with any possible information to call the tip line at (503) 261-2847.

Tuesday's previous story.

PORTLAND, Ore. - Search efforts continued Tuesday for Kyron Horman, the missing 7-year-old who vanished from a rural grade school last Friday on the outskirts of Portland.

At a short press conference Tuesday at noon, Multnomah County Sheriff's Capt. Jason Gates said that he had "nothing of significance" to report on the investigation and again pleaded with the public to call the tipline at (503) 261-2847 with any information, no matter how insignificant it might seem.

Professional search teams continued to comb the area around the school and law enforcement officials followed up on over 1,500 tips received so far. Parents and local citizens have been handing out missing child leaflets and tacking up fliers.

The FBI remains involved in the case and has headlined a page on their website dedicated to the search for Kyron. No new leads have been announced, however.

Skyline principal Ben Keefer joined Capt. Gates at the press conference and reitereated their committment to finding the missing boy.

Keefer said that there were a large number of students absent from the school Monday and Tuesday due to parents keeping their children home but that more students had returned on Tuesday and the school was returning to normal activities.

Skyline has an enrollment of about 300 students and teaches kindergarten through 8th grades. It is located in the rolling hills near Cornelius Pass Road. Homes, small farms, a church and a fire station are located nearby.

Kyron disappeared shortly after he was dropped off at the school last Friday by his stepmother. His father and biological mother are cooperating with the invesigation, according to law enforcement officials.

Kyron was last seen by his stepmother walking towards a classroom for his first class of the day. A short time before, he was photographed participating in a science fair being held during the hour before classes began. He had constructed a project about tree frogs.

In the very short period of time after his stepmother says she last saw him and classes started, he vanished. There were many adults in the building at the time due to the science fair and there was no official check-in for persons at the school.

Kyron was marked as absent from his first class but school officials did not immediately inform his parents, saying truancy was not an issue at the small school. He was not determined to be missing until he failed to exit a school bus at around 3:30 p.m., about seven hours later.

The search for him began about 30 minutes later.

Law enforcement officials have not said if there was a video security system at the school and no photos or video from such a system have been released.

Portland Schools Superindent Carole Smith has since mandated immediate district-wide automated calls to parents if a child is absent from class. Additional child safety security measures have also been implemeted.

Search officials say that at this time that they are not accepting volunteer searchers, but they do encourage anyone with any possible information to call the tip line at (503) 261-2847.

PORTLAND, Ore. - Police still called the search for a 7-year-old Skyline School student on Monday a “missing endangered child” investigation and not a kidnapping as investigators filtered through more than 1,200 tips from the public.

Watch Monday's 4 p.m. news conference

Capt. Jason Gates said the search for Kyron Horman would continue Monday until dark. He said investigators have conducted about 60 percent (updated number as of 7 p.m. was 90 percent) of interviews with parents, staff and students, and he said the aim is to interview everyone.

Horman was last seen about 9 a.m. Friday morning after his stepmother left him at a science fair at about 8:45 a.m. Police won’t say who the last person was who saw him. When Horman didn’t come home on the bus, his parents called the sheriff’s department around 4 p.m.

He said investigators have been getting tips from all over the state of Oregon and some from Washington, but he said the search has not physically been expanded to Washington, and he encouraged the public to continue to come forward with tips.

“We just want to reiterate that any small tidbit of information that you might have, might be that piece of information that we need,” Gates said. “It’s all a process of elimination, at first. So we’re eliminating those areas where Kyron is not, and we are continuing to move forward in trying to find where Kyron is so we can bring him home.”

He urged people who call in with tips to be patient as investigators look over each one.

Gates said he believes investigators have made lots of progress in the search for Horman since his disappearance.

“I feel that we are closer today based on the fact that we are getting leads that we’re following up on,” he said.

Noticeably absent from Monday’s news conference were Horman’s family members who investigators said aren’t ready to talk about their missing boy. But by Monday evening Horman’s aunt, Kelly Ramirez released a statement to the media and thanked the public for its support.

“I obviously cannot comment on Kyron or the ongoing investigation,” she wrote. “However, on behave (sic) of Kyron’s family we would like to thank you. The incredible support we have received is overwhelming.”

She said there are no words to express the family’s gratitude for the work that’s being done by the various agencies in the search for Horman.

“You have worked tirelessly on Kyron’s behalf and continue to do so,” she wrote.

She encouraged the public to print out a flier and distribute it everywhere, including businesses.

“Above all do not give up hope, as we certainly never will,” she continued. “He is out there and we are going to find him and bring him home safe where he belongs.”

Since Friday, search crews have been looking for the boy between the school and his home as well as through rugged terrain in a two-mile radius surrounding the school. Those fliers were also handed out to aid in the search.

The public can leave tips 24 hours a day at (503) 261-2847.

While the public anxiously wants to help, investigators are only urging people who live nearby to search their own property because just showing up will hamper the investigation.

“In order to make sure that we’re searching for Kyron instead of a lost civilian who’s volunteering, we need to keep it professional at this time,” Gates said.

During a noon news conference Gates promised to find the missing child.

“Kyron, we’re going to get you home buddy,” he said. “Nothing is more important to your family, your friends and to us.”

FBI investigators have joined the effort that also consists of multiple area law enforcement agencies.


View Skyline School in a larger map

Investigators interviewed parents in their cars as they dropped children off for school Monday morning. Classes were in session at the school despite a press of media and law enforcement members. Placards with Kyron's photo lined the street out front of the school and parents have tacked up missing child posters throughout the area.
 
School officials explained that an immediate call to the parents was not placed when he turned up absent from class because truancy was not an issue at the small school.
 
Following the disappearance of Kyron, Schools Superintendent Carole Smith said the district would mandate automated calls to parents in the case of an absent student and upgrade security procedures at all schools, regardless of size.
 

Previous story:
 

PORTLAND, Ore. – Dozens of searchers continued to look on Monday for a missing 7-year-old boy who disappeared from a Portland school Friday morning.