Thread #1 - Kyron Horman: Missing for 9 Months/ Desiree believes Kyron is dead/ Supporters put pressure on Terri

[lisette]

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The search continues for a 7-year-old boy last seen walking towards his classroom at a Portland, Ore., school Friday morning.

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office searched overnight for second-grader Kyron Horman in the area around Skyline Elementary School in northwest Portland.

Several agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, have joined the search.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Lt. Mary Lindstrand says the boy's stepmother reported last seeing him walk down the hallway towards his classroom at 8:45 a.m. Friday. School staff didn't see him after that time and report that he didn't make it to class.

Police were called Friday afternoon when the boy didn't come home from school on the bus.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/06/05/search-boy-seen-oregon-school/?test=latestnews

What happened to this child!?

[lisette]

PORTLAND, Ore. – The National Guard is now assisting in the search for a second grader from Portland's Skyline Elementary School who went missing Friday.

That's according to a press conference held Saturday by the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. The FBI also has asked to participate in the search, although as of Saturday – according to spokesman and Multnomah Captain Jason Gates – it had yet to do so.

Even so, more than 150 searchers have been scouring this rural part of Northwest Portland. Searchers include several law enforcement agencies and a police helicopter. Authorities have set up a perimeter around the school that only searchers are being allowed to cross.

We know that 7-year-old Kyron Horman did not return home on his school bus as scheduled at 3:30 p.m. Friday, June 4. Family called Skyline Elementary School soon after, and the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office became involved around 4 p.m.

Matt Shelby, spokesman for Portland Public Schools, said Kyron was with his stepmother at a science fair that morning (see photo below). However, Kyron never checked back in with his teacher afterward, Shelby said.

The boy's stepmother reports they walked through a number of classrooms and she last saw Kyron around 8:45 a.m. Friday. She last saw him, she reports, walking down the hallway toward his classroom at 11536 N.W. Skyline Blvd.

School staff report not seeing him after 8:45 a.m.

Multnomah County deputies called in their Search and Rescue team to begin a search of the area surrounding the school after school hours Friday. As the evening progressed, SearchOne Canine Inc. and Portland Police also joined in the search.

High grasses on the surrounding property are making the search difficult: "If they're not calling out to you," said a spokesman for the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office in the Saturday press conference, "unless you basically step right over them you're going to miss them."

On Friday a decision was made to upgrade the search to a Major Crimes Team investigation. This allows for more resources to be deployed, which included resources from Portland Police Bureau, Gresham Police Department, Fairview Police Department, Oregon State Patrol and the FBI.

Search and rescue resources also expanded to include SearchOne Canine Inc., Mountain Rescue, Yamhill County Canine and additional members of the Multnomah County Search and Rescue team. Members continued their searching throughout the night, encompassing more than 20 miles of road and two square miles. Portland Police Bureau's air unit also was called in.

Saturday morning, around 7 a.m., the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office readied for its second operational period to find Kyron Horman. It ordered more resources which include Search and Rescue resources from Washington County Sheriff's Office, Yamhill County Sheriff's Office, Clark County Washington, Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue and a National Guard helicopter.

Anyone with information regarding Kyron Horman's whereabouts has been asked to call the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office tip line, 1-503-261-2847, or to dial 9-1-1 with emergency information.

Lieutenant Mary Lindstrand, a spokesperson for the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, said the agency would have searchers out as long as needed.

http://www.katu.com/news/95691389.html

[Wrapitup]

[Wrapitup]

Something is amiss w/the stepmother. She was the last to see him. She says the last time she saw him was at 8:45AM walking to his class; however..no one else saw him walking to his class (how far did he have to walk?)

He looks like the kind of child who is very smart & creative.

Where is his bio mom and dad?

[lisette]

Wrap, I agree...Something is very strange about the stepmother being the last one to see him...I wonder if he was upset about something that had happened and "took off" or if he actually left with her...I wish I knew more background about their relationship...The reports are kinda sketchy...

[lisette]

This article gives more background about Kyron's and his stepmother's relationship...She sounds pretty sound...I just wonder what happened to him?!

Details emerge about the day Kyron Horman turned up missing
By Lynne Terry, The Oregonian
June 05, 2010, 11:21PM

A photo posted on his stepmother's Facebook page shows Kyron Horman in front of his science fair project, wearing the "CSI" T-shirt he was last seen in.
Friday began as a special day for 7-year-old Kyron Horman. His school in Northwest Portland was having a science fair and he was keen to show off his project to his stepmother.

So, instead of taking the bus near his home off Cornelius Pass Road as usual, he hopped into the car with his stepmother, Terri Moulton Horman, who drove him to Skyline Elementary School.

They arrived sometime after the school opened about 8 a.m., went to his classroom, dropped off his coat and backpack and he showed his stepmother his exhibit, "The Red-Eyed Tree Frog."

Horman, who has raised Kyron since he was an infant, snapped a picture of him standing in front of it that she later posted on her Facebook page. It shows a bespectacled and beaming short-haired boy wearing a blue "CSI" T-shirt in front of an exhibit with photos of bug-eyed frogs, an anatomical drawing of the creature and other artwork.

"He was so excited about his science project," said Carol Moulton, Horman's mother and Kyron's grandmother. "They had worked on it together. He was anxious to take it to school and show it off."

Kyron Horman
After that, the two looked at other projects set up on desks in classrooms. There are about 300 students at Skyline Elementary, and all of them were invited to contribute to the fair.

Although the school usually opens at 8:35 a.m. and the final bell rings 10 minutes later, the school opened as early as 8 Friday for the science fair, said Matt Shelby, spokesman for Portland Public Schools.

Other students and parents showed up early as well to check out the fair, and Terri and Kyron saw people they knew while looking at the exhibits, Carol Moulton said.

Terri often volunteers at the school, working closely with Kyron's teacher, Kristina Porter. Shelby said that Porter saw Kyron in her classroom with his stepmom before 8:45 a.m. and another instructor reported seeing him in another classroom at some point.

At 8:45 a.m. when the bell rang, Terri walked her stepson down the hall close to his class.

"He told her, 'I'm going back to the classroom, Mom,' and she waves to him and left," Carol Moulton said. "She thought he was safely at school just like he is everyday."

What happened to the boy who went missing is unclear.

Carol Moulton said the kids were supposed to report to their classes and be divided into small groups of a few students each. Each group was supposed to tour the science fair with a chaperone. Afterward, when they returned to their classes for roll call, Kyron wasn't there, she said.

After leaving the school, Terri went about her day, running errands and taking care of household chores. She is a former elementary school teacher and has worked as a substitute teacher at various schools, but Moulton said that in recent years she has mainly been a stay-at-home mom.

Kyron's father, Kaine Horman, works at Intel's main administrative facility in Oregon, the Jones Farm campus in Hillsboro, the company said.

Kyron's biological mother, Desiree Horman, and his father were officially divorced in February 2003, according to Washington County Circuit Court records.

Carol Moulton said that Kaine, 36, and Terri, 40, have been together for seven or eight years and that they have been married for four or five years. The couple have an 18-month-old girl.

"Terri has raised Kyron," her mother said. "She's been with him since he was an infant. She's as much of a mom as the mom is because the parents had separated about the time that Kyron was born."

She said he visits his biological mother in Medford every couple of weeks and that Desiree, 38, came to Portland as soon as she heard about his disappearance.

Kyron was supposed to take the bus home Friday, so Terri went to the bus stop at 3:30 p.m. to pick him up.

But the bus driver told her he wasn't there.

Panicked, she ran home and called the school to discover that he had been marked absent for the day.

She called 9-1-1, setting off a search that's drawn in a swarm of officers and several law enforcement agencies, including the FBI.

Officers, working with sniffer dogs, have combed the hilly, wooded area around Skyline Elementary.

Moulton doubts Kyron wandered off on his own. It's just not in his character, she said.

"He's a little bit dreamy. He's a sweet kid. He gets distracted. He's your typical second-grader," she said.

But he's no Huckleberry Finn.

"He's not real adventurous," she said. "He's a little timid. But if a friend wanted to go outside and look at something, he would follow the friend. He has a friend who he regularly gets in trouble with in the classroom because he talks too much."

Moulton said Kyron will not even venture far from his home in a wooded area.

"He won't get out of sight of the house," she said. "He's pretty insecure about that. So I can't see him wandering off."

His disappearance is devastating for the close-knit family, which plays board games together, goes bowling and enjoys visits to the Oregon Zoo. A few years ago, the family took a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

Terri also has a 16-year-old son from a former marriage who has lived with her mom and dad for the past few months in Roseburg. The teen's father also lives in the area and the two are on a Boy Scout camping trip this weekend.

It will be difficult to give him the news, Moulton said.

"It's a total mystery," she said. "He just vanished. I just can't believe it."

Staff writer Stephen Beaven of The Oregonian contributed to this report.
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/06/details_emerge_about_the_day_k.html

[Wrapitup]

Carol Moulton said the kids were supposed to report to their classes and be divided into small groups of a few students each. Each group was supposed to tour the science fair with a chaperone. Afterward, when they returned to their classes for roll call, Kyron wasn't there, she said.

Maybe something (not sure what - happened at this timeframe) OR

Terri also has a 16-year-old son from a former marriage who has lived with her mom and dad for the past few months in Roseburg. The teen's father also lives in the area and the two are on a Boy Scout camping trip this weekend.

Here. What was the relationship with the 16 year old son like with his step brother?

I am just grasping at straws.

[cherylz]

OMG...this is every parent's nightmare. I am so paranoid about my 5 y.o. taking the bus and getting off the bus. And, always was w/ the 2 older ones.
At 1st I was suspicious of the step-mom. Not sure what to think now. But, the article states there were witnesses. Something happened in the time-frame upon return to the classroom to divide into small groups.

[Guest]

It is shocking. I know the article talked about his bio Mom showing up once he was reported missing. I hope she is being closely looked at and followed.

[lisette]

Search for Oregon boy who disappeared from Portland school grows as police meet with parents
Published June 07, 2010 | Associated Press

Kyron Horman
PORTLAND, Ore. — Investigators trying to find a vanished 7-year-old Oregon boy interviewed nearly 200 of his classmates and their parents as the FBI sent a team to take part in the expanding search.

Kyron Horman disappeared sometime after his stepmother left him at his Portland elementary school on Friday morning.

Sheriff Dan Staton said late Sunday night that he was "not prepared" to call the boy's disappearance a kidnapping. He described Kyron as a "missing endangered child" because more than two days had elapsed since he disappeared and because search efforts were hampered by rainy weather.

"We have developed a lot of information which has to be processed thoroughly, and I am not in a position to divulge any specifics of our investigative plan at this time," Staton said in a statement.

The boy and his stepmother, Terri Moulton Horman, attended a science fair at the school early Friday, and she last saw him walking down a hallway toward his second grade classroom at about 8:45 a.m. He was wearing a "CSI" T-shirt and dark cargo pants.


Police said Kyron did not return home on the bus as scheduled. The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office was contacted at about 4 p.m., and authorities have been searching the school and the surrounding area since then.

Stanton said investigators have also been working to determine a detailed timeline of the boy's movements on Friday morning.

Investigators asked Kyron's fellow students and their parents to come to the school Sunday and said they spoke with some 200 of them in an effort to glean clues into his disappearance. Relatives also distributed flyers with the boy's picture.

Authorities were reviewing photos and videos taken at the school's science fair. The last photo of Kyron shows the boy smiling Friday in front of his project on the red-eyed tree frog.

Asked if there were any persons of interest, Staton replied: "In this type of situation I think everyone is of interest to us."

The FBI has dispatched its Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team, as well as its Behavioral Analysis Unit, which often takes part when a young child disappears. Its presence doesn't mean law enforcement has determined the child has been abducted, FBI spokeswoman Beth Anne Steele said in an e-mail.

The boy's parents were not ready to speak, Lt. Mary Lindstrand said Sunday.

Multnomah County sheriff's deputies, the county's search and rescue team, the Oregon State Patrol and police officers from Portland, Gresham and Fairview were taking part in the search, which focused on the area surrounding the school and the two miles to Kyron's house.

Superintendent of Portland Public Schools Carole Smith would not comment on the details of the district's policy for reporting school absences. Details about whether Kyron was reported as absent were not known.

"The reported disappearance of a child from one of our schools is unprecedented and deeply troubling," she said.

She said crisis counselors would be at the school on Monday.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/06/06/search-oregon-boy-disappeared-portland-school-grows-police-meet-parents/?test=latestnews

WHAT!? They are JUST NOW meeting with the parents?!

[Nama]

Terri Moulton Horman

https://www.facebook.com/terri.horman?v=wall&ref=ts

[TerryRose]

This mystery boggles the mind, to disappear from within a school is really very odd nowadays when they are supposed to be so diligent in this regard. It surely is "every parent's nightmare". That school dropped the ball.

[artgal16]

So it sounds like its confirmed that others saw the child after his step-mom left the school?

[artgal16]

Could it be a custody case? Could the bio-mom have
hidden him away?

[Wrapitup]

Live Press Conference on HLN now!

[Wrapitup]

News by Mark Berman
(1 Minute Ago) in Society / Crime

As the search for missing Kyron Horman stretches into another day, two top Portland private investigators say they don't think a stranger played a role in his disappearance.

7-year-old Kyron was last seen by his stepmother walking towards his classroom following a science fair at his school on Friday morning. When he didn't arrive home on the school bus, his parents learned he wasn't in class all day.

Criminal profiler Dr. Ron Turco said, "Something doesn't fit. He was an intelligent boy and was very proud of what he did at school.

"You have to hypothesize that he went with someone he knew. A family member or someone associated with the family, " said Dr. Turco.

Investigator and former Portland Police Detective CW Jensen echoes that. "To me, it seems strange."

Neither Turco nor Jensen are involved in Kyron's case -- they are speculating based on their years of experience.

Detectives are keeping relatively quiet about their investigation, only saying that Kyron is an "endangered missing child."

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/investigator-on-ore-boy-kyron-horman-missing-seems-strange

[Wrapitup]

By Jennifer Winters KVAL News
Jun 8, 2010 at 5:00 PM PDT

EUGENE, Ore. - Time is of the essence when a child is missing.

But five days after Kyron Horman disappeared from his school, uthorities still have not issued an Amber Alert.

KVAL News has received numerous calls, e-mails and Web comments asking why, because we have all seen the pictures: the faces of abducted children, broadcast around the U.S. on TV, the Internet and reader boards.

But if you visit the Amber Alert website, there's no alert for Kyron Horman.

That's because, while Kyron is missing and there is a desperate search to find the 7-year-old boy from Portland, his case doesn't fit the strict rules for Amber Alert.

Oregon State Police started their the Amber Alert program in 2002. Under Department of Justice guidelines, for OSP to issue an Amber Alert:

* Law enforcement must confirm that an abduction has taken place.

* The child must be at risk of serious injury or death.

* There must be sufficient descriptive information on the child, captor, or captor's vehicle to issue an alert.

* The child must be 17 years old or younger.

Right now, authorities still aren't calling Kyron's disappearance an "abduction." He is considered a "missing endangered child."

There also are no descriptions of a suspect or suspect vehicle.

But while there is no active Amber Alert, word is spreading across the country. There are several dedicated Facebook pages related to Kyron's disappearance.

Kyron is also on the Missing and Exploited Children website and at the top of the FBI's endangered list.

Eugene police and authorities across the Northwest are also distributing missing flyers hoping someone spots the boy or calls in a tip that brings Kyron home.

http://www.kval.com/news/local/95907964.html?

This is so stupid. There is a 7 year old boy missing. Isn't that enough for an Amber alert??

[Wrapitup]

POSTED: 7:06 am PDT June 9, 2010
UPDATED: 8:24 am PDT June 9, 2010

PORTLAND, Ore. -- A statement from the parents of a missing 7-year-old boy is expected to come sometime Wednesday as investigators wrap up the final interviews of parents, students and staff at Skyline School.

Second-grader Kyron Horman disappeared from his rural northwest Portland school Friday.

Multnomah County Sheriff's Capt. Jason Gates said Kyron's stepmother brought him to school for a school science fair and last saw Kyron near his classroom at about 8:45 a.m.

Tanner Pumala, Kyron's classmate, said he last saw his friend at about the same time when Kyron told him he was headed to look at another student's science project.

"He walked by the hallway and I'm like, 'Hi, Kyron,' and he's like, 'Hi. I'm going to go see this cool one. It's electric.' I'm like, 'Alright, bye.' And that's the last time I saw him," Tanner said. "He never did make it back to class."

As the search for Kyron enters its sixth day, Tanner said his friend's disappearance is all he can think about.

"I'm feeling really sad. For the last five days, I haven't gotten much sleep," he said. "I'm hoping that my best friend will come back."

Classes at Skyline School continued as scheduled Tuesday. Tanner said he and fellow students have spent time in class writing letters to Kyron and piling them on his desk.

"If we ever do find him, it's going to be hard for him to go on the bus with all of his stuff," Tanner said. "He has a pile of stuff with a great, big teddy bear."

Crews combed miles of land in northwest Portland and beyond Tuesday. When asked if Kyron could still be alive five days after he vanished, Gates said it's a possibility.

"Stranger things have happened," he said.

Kyron lives near Skyline School with his father, stepmother, stepsister and stepbrother.

His biological mother, Desiree Horman, lives in Medford, but is in Portland to help with the search.

"I'm really concentrating on finding Kyron," she said when reached for comment over the phone. "We're just trying to get his face out there and finding him is our top priority."

While Kyron has been missing for five days, authorities have not said what they believe happened to him. However, Gates said in a news conference that the case is an isolated incident and other children are not at risk.

http://www.kptv.com/news/23842774/detail.html

So, does LE think he just walked off away from school in a daze or what? I want more details about the bio parents. And the stepmom's son has my red flag flying for some reason.

[cherylz]

The step-mother's FB is now private.

[cherylz]

Former detective: Parents’ silence not unheard of but not the norm
www.katu.com

Unbelievable!!

[artgal16]

Im trying to think of why the parents would not come forward. What does the father do for a living? Was there any evidence of abuse at any time or calls to Children's services in the past? Its confirmed by his little friend he was seen after the stepmother left him at school, or could his friend have been thinking of a different day. Something is off about this case.
What is the chance a stranger was in that school
and took the child? Also dont they have any cameras
in the halls?

[cherylz]

And, the parents were at the local gym! IMO that would be the last thing I would be doing if my child was missing. Reminds me of many other "psychopaths" we have read about.

[artgal16]

yes the UGLY COPING -
when did the parents go to the gym? After the child was reported missing? are you kidding?

[cherylz]

Artgal, it is on the above link I posted. The reporter found them at a local gym and they refused comment.

[cherylz]

I know at our Elementary School you have to sign in at the Visitor's log in the Main Office. But on a busy day such as a Science Fair day anyone could easily just breeze right in w/ the crowds.

[jeanne1807]

Color me crazy but I keep posting and they disappear. I am afraid I am going too fast and forget to hit the post button. Darn.

ANyway at 8am this morning I said something is way off in this story. How can a child be in school and not be in school? Is this another case of cameras not working. Don't they have cameras in the halls at most schools?
They take my picture all day long. Bank, drive through, Target, Walmart. Somedays it seems I am on camera more than off.

Why can't they trace this little boy? These parents are strange..very strange.

[jeanne1807]

Cherlz I just watched that video you posted.

They know. The dad and stepmother knows where he is. Either he has been taken by the mother or he is dead.

Those two are cold fish. Imagine that..a workout while hundreds look for your child. I know they can't hunt for the little guy but they could pass out water and offer support to those trying to find him.

I used to believe there was some good in everybody but you know what..not anymore. I have seen too much in these last couple of years.

[Wrapitup]

I had a hard time finding the video so I thought I would post the direct link here. I agree. The parents know something. I think this was planned.

http://www.katu.com/news/96033344.html?tab=video

[lisette]

I can't imagine going to a gym for a workout when my child was missing!! If nothing else, it shows that they didn't care too much about him and are not really upset that he is gone...I would be almost sure that the stepmom took him from school and did something to him except for the fact that his friend said that he saw him after she had already left...so

[TerryRose]

Cherlz I just watched that video you posted.

They know. The dad and stepmother knows where he is. Either he has been taken by the mother or he is dead.

Those two are cold fish. Imagine that..a workout while hundreds look for your child. I know they can't hunt for the little guy but they could pass out water and offer support to those trying to find him.

I used to believe there was some good in everybody but you know what..not anymore. I have seen too much in these last couple of years.

I agree with everything you have written. I too cannot imagine going to a gym when a child is missing----I would be hunting day and night, calling his name, looking and looking and looking-------

[Nama]

Two former detective supervisors said Thursday the lack of information investigators have released in the search for Kyron Horman points to potential criminal involvement.

Cliff Madison is a retired detectives’ division commander with the Portland Police Bureau and David Hadley is a retired supervisor of detectives with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. Both have decades of experience in police work which includes missing children’s cases.

While nothing released in the case of Kyron indicates any parental wrongdoing, experts say family is always the place to start.

“Most of what gets categorized as missing children are usually a parental situation where mom or dad has taken the child,” said Hadley. “You know, it’s mom loves them more than dad loves them kind of a situation, and the child winds up in the middle of that, unfortunately.”

“You don’t want to blame anybody within a family but you also know you need to eliminate the potential of involvement,” said Madison. “So you’re going to have to ask some tough questions to eliminate those.”

Hadley said, “It’s normal in a missing person case to go to the last person who saw that missing person. It just makes logical sense that that’s where the investigation is always going to begin, and you work back in progression from that.”

With Kyron’s disappearance, that person was his stepmother Terri Moulton Horman, who investigators initially said took him to the science fair last Friday, took a photo of him, and last saw him at 8:45 a.m. as he walked toward his classroom.

Now, they won’t confirm the details of that timeline and Madison said there is good reason for scaling back.

“If you start looking at the potential for any criminal behavior then you need to also look at the case itself. If an arrest is made somewhere down the road can they take care of the court actions you need to take care of, so then you start closing down the case a little bit,” he said speaking generally about missing children cases.

Both men said that the possibility of a stranger abduction cannot be eliminated. There are reports that someone saw Kyron at school at 9 a.m. but investigators have refused to say who saw him or specifically where he was seen.

One thing the FBI did reconfirm Thursday afternoon was that they do know for a fact that the photo of Kyron at the science fair was taken last Friday morning.

http://www.katu.com/news/local/96115734.html

[jeanne1807]

I still cannot believe that not one family member has not gone before the camera to plead for this little boys life. Not dad, not mom and of course not stepmom.
No grandparents, aunts or uncles.

That is just tooooo strange. And daddy and step mommy at a gym.

Whats wrong with this picture. Everybody but the searchers seems to know..the whole family knows.

I just cannot believe not one family member has come forward. If it was my grandchild and the parents were at a gym first I would kick their hindends and then I would be on tv.

[cherylz]

I can't remember where I read an article about the step-mother? I can't find it now. It was singing her praises and telling her history...how she was a teacher, etc. Does anyone remember reading that?

[jeanne1807]

They are saying..blogs..that there was quite a bit on her facebook page that has been taken down. I wonder if anybody captured that? I think she had quite a bit about the gym she went to?????

[lisette]

cherylz, I posted an article (the 6th post from the top) about the stepmother being a teacher, volunteer, etc....It encouraged me at first, but I don't know now with this gym thing...That just blows my mind that she and his father would even THINK about workouts now! I read that she had made her Facebook private now so that you can't see it, but that she had talked about her workouts on it in the past few days..IDK, maybe that helps them not to be totally stressed out...

[cherylz]

Thank you Lisette...that was it.
Yes, at 1st I didn't suspect her, but now my red flags are up. Just not a normal reaction in my book.

[jeanne1807]

I tried to find a picture of the father, mother, stepmother or aunt spokeswoman that made one brief statement. Nothing and I even got a virus warning.

Quite the mystery.

I know BJ will be all over this one. Fear not if there is any news at all...we will hear it here first.

[jeanne1807]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20007450-504083.html

Still nothing.

[artgal16]

Unless with all the commotion about the science fair and also some kind of assembly later in the day,
possibly a stranger could have been on the grounds?
It doesnt make sense unless he was the target - and if thats the case it was definitely someone he knew.

[Nama]

News conference going on right now in Portland. The father and stepfather have spoken and thanked everyone for searching, etc. There will be NO questions answered by the family. Now it's over. Emails with questions will be accepted for the parents to answer. Didn't hear where to send the questions to.

[artgal16]

I saw them - they looked "normal" only stepfather and father spoke neither of the women. Still its odd

[jeanne1807]

White shirts his father and stepmother. Dark shirts his stepfather and mother.

[Nama]

After staying in seclusion for a week, Kyron Horman's family came out in force Friday to put a public face for the first time on their grief and fear for the missing 7-year-old.

Arm in arm, some with tears streaming down their faces, Kyron's parents and stepparents thanked searchers, investigators and the media for keeping the quest alive to find the Skyline School second-grader with the wide smile. They wore white T-shirts with Kyron's photo and the word "MISSING" in bright orange.

"Kyron, we love you, we miss you, and we need you home right now," said Tony Young, Kyron's stepfather and a Medford police detective.

"Your school friends and your family, teachers, the staff at your school and the community as a whole has shown how much impact one little boy's smile can have on a community. You mean everything to us, and until you come home, this family is not complete."

Family members have been notably scarce since Kyron disappeared eight days ago from his rural school in Northwest Portland, drawing national attention and questions to investigators. Sheriff's officials said the family has wanted to keep the focus on Kyron.

Larry Moulton of Roseburg, the father of the boy's stepmother, said investigators urged the family to avoid the spotlight. But Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton said that's not true. A sheriff's captain who has been working with the family "had a conversation with them and that's when they decided to talk to the media," he said.

To help
Tip line: 503-261-2847

To donate food or cash for the search or to print a flier: www.mcso.us/public/newsroom.htm

Potluck: Noon to 2:30 p.m. today at Hamilton Park, Southwest 45th Avenue and Hamilton Street. $3 per person or a donation of packaged foods for searchers.The sheriff said he was sorry investigators haven't released much information about the search.

"Because it is a situation where there is a school and a child involved we have been extremely cautious," Staton said. "If we start releasing certain aspects of the case, certain avenues shut down. I apologize to the media and the public because they need to know, but we are not going to release anything that would potentially damage the investigation."

Kyron vanished from the school after attending a science fair with his stepmother the morning of June 4 before classes began. His stepmother last saw him heading for his classroom and found out he was missing later that afternoon when she went to meet his bus and he wasn't on it.

Staton did say that investigators plan today to re-canvass houses in the Skyline neighborhood and that he has deputized law officers from Washington and California. The search has included use of bloodhounds, the U.S. Coast Guard and 30 canine units and is the "largest statewide and multistate search" that other sheriffs have seen, he said.

Promising leads have come into the tip line, Staton added, and they're handed over to investigators within 15 minutes after they're received, but he wouldn't give any details.

He noted that searchers have run into some difficulties in checking private property. "We've had to tell people that we don't want to violate their privacy--we don't care what you have in your car or your barn," Staton said. "We have set aside everything."

But he wouldn't pinpoint where searchers are looking.

Kyron's family made an emotional appeal for people to keep vigilant.

Young said the family has cooperated with the investigation. Speaking directly to Kyron, he said, "We're doing everything we can to work with law enforcement and the search and the rescue crews to make sure that you can get back to us as soon as possible.

"Please Kyron, keep up the hope. We believe in you and we know you will be back with us soon."



His wife, Desiree Young, Kyron's mother, stood arm and arm with his stepmother, Terri Horman, as Kyron's father, Kaine Horman, embraced Tony Young before stepping in front of the cameras. Desiree Young clutched at her stomach, the pain evident on her tear-streaked face.

Kaine Horman expressed gratitude to all the people -- "the community, parents, children, bus drivers" -- who have undergone multiple interviews by authorities.

"We as the family know how difficult and stressful this is, but your memories and statements can help us find Kyron," he said. "We will never be able to enough for that help. Finally, we would like to thank the media. If it was not for you showing Kyron on every news cast, printing his story in the papers, his face would not be known to everyone. People from around the nation have seen his picture -- this helps tremendously. Please help us bring Kyron home."

Family members didn't answer any questions, but investigators said they would accept written questions and possibly answer them later.

On Friday, more than 200 searchers were in the field. They're among about 530 state-certified experts who have come from across Oregon, Washington and Northern California to work in shifts to scour the area around the school and other places identified by investigators.

A small crew on horseback headed to Sauvie Island, where members of a mounted sheriff's posse went house to house beneath gradually clearing skies. The sound of clopping hooves mixed with the thwock-thwock of helicopter blades from an Oregon National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter flying overhead.

The helicopter made passes along a north-south line as the mounted riders headed north along Sauvie Island Road, riding through orchards and across the island's farm fields and pumpkin patches.

A flurry of excitement came mid-day when a report surfaced that a boy spotted Thursday in a California Walmart looked like Kyron. But police in Yreka, just south of the Oregon border on Interstate 5, said it was a different child.

At a news conference, investigators displayed clothing similar to what Kyron was last seen wearing -- a black T-shirt with a logo from "CSI," dark gray cargo pants, Hanes brand white socks and child's size 11 Skechers sneakers.

The more familiar people become with the second-grader, the better the chances of finding him, said Capt. Monte Reiser of the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. "We show these items to create an additional awareness," Reiser said.

Morale is still high among teams on the ground, he said. Authorities consider the operation a search and rescue mission -- not a recovery effort.

"The weather's improving and our search opportunities are expanding and our commitment to the search has not wavered," Reiser said. "As this search grows longer the resolve grows stronger to find Kyron and bring him home."

Statements from the family:

Hello, my name is Tony Young, and I am Kyron's stepfather. The family has asked me to speak on their behalf.

Kyron -- we miss you. We love you. We want and need you home.

We are doing everything we can to work with law enforcement and the search and rescue crews to make sure you can get back to us as soon as possible.

We want to say how much we appreciate the outpouring of love and support, prayers and thoughts as we wait for you. Your school friends and their families, the teachers and staff at your school and the community as a whole have shown how much impact one little boy's smile can have.

You mean everything to us, and until you come home, our family is not complete.

Please Kyron -- keep up the hope. We believe in you and we know you will be back with us soon.

Hi, I'm Kaine, Kyron's father. We want to thank the community, parents, children, bus drivers, and all of those who are being interviewed multiple times to help find Kyron. Thank you.

We as the family know how difficult and stressful this is, but your memories and statements can help us find Kyron. We will never be able to enough for that help.

Finally, we would like to thank the media. If it was not for you showing Kyron on every news cast, printing his story in the papers, his face would not be known to everyone. People from around the nation have seen his picture — this helps tremendously.

Please help us bring Kyron home.

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/06/kyron_hormans_family_makes_emo.html

[lisette]

Maybe I have been too harsh on the parents (about going to the gym)...Maybe it's something that they did to keep their sanity...Somebody must have been in that school that grabbed that boy, but how did they get him out without anybody seeing them!? Was it somebody that he knew, and no red flags were thrown up by seeing them together? But that would mean that somebody could say that they saw him with this person. This is just crazy!

Tanner Pumala, Kyron's classmate, said he last saw his friend at about the same time when Kyron told him he was headed to look at another student's science project.

"He walked by the hallway and I'm like, 'Hi, Kyron,' and he's like, 'Hi. I'm going to go see this cool one. It's electric.' I'm like, 'Alright, bye.' And that's the last time I saw him," Tanner said. "He never did make it back to class."

Maybe he got lured outside with the promise of seeing something "cool"...Maybe not the project mentioned above, but he might have been susceptible to being tempted to see something that he thought would be interesting. I wonder if they have tracked down this project that he was going to see, where it was, who told him about it, etc...

[jeanne1807]

I think somewhere I read that it was the gym that was getting things ready for the searchers. Water and supplies. They could have been helping out there. I think I will give them the benefit of a doubt. I sometimes judge too quickly.

[lisette]

I taught second and third grades for 32 years...I can't help but wonder why more inquiries were not made into why Kyron did not come to class after he had been seen earlier with his stepmother...I guess they just assumed that he had come to school, set up his project, and left with her...I think I would have checked with the office or called home to see if he did leave with her...I would ask the class: Has anyone seen Kyron this morning? Did he leave with his mom? Maybe the classmate would have told about seeing him headed to see another project and further investigation could have been made...IDK, but as a teacher, I think I would have looked further into this before just marking him absent...Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and I am sure the teacher is distraught for not doing more to find him that morning...It was an unusual morning, with a lot of people milling about, so maybe it is understandable...IDK...

[lisette]

I was just reading an article at "Blink on Crime" and found a couple of new details that I had not heard before:
His jacket and backpack were left on his desk in his classroom...(Another reason why the teacher should have made further inquiries before marking him absent!)
He was scheduled to be in a talent show that day at 1:00 pm...(Did anyone not question why he was not there for this? And I find it kinda odd that one of the parents was not going to be there to see him perform in the talent show! Maybe he got "cold feet" and ran away?...Maybe he found out that Mom was not coming back for the talent show and got upset? )
The article on Blink pointed out that while the school was gathered for the talent show would be a good time to sneak out with the boy(I guess they were assuming that he had been kept hidden somewhere in the school until then...IDK..)These are just some things to consider, I guess.
His items left on his desk and his not being there for the talent show were new details that I had not heard and found very troubling!

[cherylz]

Yep, when I did a long-term sub job as a School-Nurse one of my daily jobs at 8:30 AM was to retrieve a list of names from the Main Office of those kids absent that day that were not already called in excused by a parent/guardian. I then had the task of calling each parent's home to see why their child was absent that day. If a parent was not home I had to track them by cell phone and then work and then emergency numbers. This was a good check and balance system. Maybe b/c of the nature of this 1 day...the Fair and then Talent show normal protocol was not followed?

[lisette]

And, cherylz, it makes you wonder if it was someone that took advantage of this unusual day because they KNEW that it was going to be that kind of day...I hope that LE is researching all families and staff members' families for sex offenders...It just seems hard to believe that a stranger from off the street would go into a school so brazenly unless he KNEW that security would be lax that day...

[lisette]

I just had another thought...I noticed that the school has grades K-8...It is sad to say, but troubled 8th graders (and even younger) have been known to commit some "adult" acts...I wonder if the Science Fair was for the whole school or if it just covered lower grades...I guess LE is exploring all of these possibilities...

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