Tonight is Day 5 in the mysterious disappearance of 7-year old Kyron Horman. From the beginning, it has been a baffling case and with all the news media chiming in and speculating, it has been difficult to sort through the facts.
Here is what I have gleaned: Kyron went to school with his step-mother on Friday morning. They toured the science fair and he posed by his project on red-eyed tree frogs. At around 8:45, he announced he was going to class and his step mother left him.
When roll was called during his 10:00AM class, Kyron was absent. The school does not notify parents when children are absent. (I have two thoughts on that: 1. did they not take notes when Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis were murdered in 2002? and 2. when we received calls from North Clackamas School District that Chrystal had been absent, it was after 6PM and Chrystal had already informed us of her whereabouts. For the calls to work, they need to take place before 3:00PM.)
When the bus arrived at Kyron’s bus stop, his step-mother and father were waiting. They immediately called the school & the police. A search was underway before dark, but it had already been several hours and a whole lot of rain later.
Kyron’s biological mother drove up from Eugene with her husband as soon as she heard the news. They were not in Portland when this all came down.
I have gathered that a lot of people like to point their fingers at the step mother. For some reason, I just don’t feel that vibe. I can’t tell you why because it is just a “feeling”. Maybe it is because I am a “step-mom” of sorts myself and I know that you can love that child as much as you love your own biological children. But I really can’t bring myself to point my finger at her.
There’s also the mysterious entry of the FBI. They were called in to the case early on, very early on. By Sunday, an abduction profiler was called in (but the police were being very careful to avoid calling this an abduction case and still are not saying that). Today, the FBI created its own webpage for Kyron. That makes me think that the FBI and the police know a lot more than they are saying.
There is a fan page on Facebook: Missing Kyron Horman
The police and FBI gave a press conference today which was best summarized by The Portlander: Police Give Subtle Clues in Kyron Horman Case. Reading that article made me realize that the police have always suspected something foul, but they are being very close-mouthed so as to not give away what they already know. It affirmed everything I’ve felt about the case all along. I just pray that what they know will lead to the happy recovery of a little boy wearing wire-framed glasses.
Sometimes a news event really impacts your life even though you do not know the parties. That’s how I feel about Kyron Horman.
Here is a link to a flyer for Kyron. He is also featured on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Hopefully, all this attention will bring him home safely. The last time a news story impacted me like this was the 2002 disappearance of Ashley Pond. I had to drive the stretch of road that runs past the apartments where Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis (who also disappeared a couple months later) lived. Every time I drove by there, I felt like the air was sucked out of my lungs. In August, there was finally a break in the case and Ward Weaver was arrested. It happened that Ward Weaver lived right on that same stretch of road and that was the house where he murdered those little girls (who were nearly the same age as my son at the time).
I certainly don’t want any harm to come to Kyron and that is why I feel like I need to blog about him tonight. I want him to be safe.
Hug your babies tonight.
I’ve been following this as much as possible with the national news. There’s nothing worse than a missing child. I know exactly what you mean when you talk about how it’s affecting you – you don’t really know why and wish it would stop, but it’s something you just can’t get over.
We had a missing boy here last summer. I joined the search team and went out looking although in my heart I knew he wouldn’t be found alive.
His mom and step dad are now in jail awaiting trial. Sometimes life just breaks your heart…
I remember that case, Jodi. 😦 I hope and hope and hope that something similar has not happened to little Kyron…
Last September, a two year old boy disappeared from his parents campsite up on the North Canol Road. A lost dog had showed up there earlier in the day, and for just a moment, the parents weren’t watching, and the toddler followed the dog into the bush. After searching frantically for him without success, the parents called for help. RCMP from several jurisdictions and SAR were called in, and a large ground-search team was organized to look for the child. Everyone was praying that he would be found alive, but it gets cold here at night in September, and the bush is dense and full of predators.
Finally, just before nightfall the next day, the helicopter pilot picked up two small dots on his infrared screen several kilometers from the campsite. Searchers found the little boy, alive, still with the dog, and in surprisingly good condition, even though he had lost his jacket. Why he didn’t die of hypothermia overnight seems miraculous. Did the dog somehow manage to keep him warm? Maybe. There was great relief and rejoicing when he was returned to his desparately frightened parents safe and sound! I can’t imagine going through an ordeal like that.
The family returned to their home in southern B.C., and took the dog with them to keep for their son, after the adventure they had shared together in the Yukon bush.
This story has a happy ending, and everybody was so grateful for that. It’s so true that there’s nothing worse than a missing child.
I hope and pray with all my heart that little Kyron will be found safe, and reunited with his family, too.