It’s been nearly a year since the disappearance of Kyron Horman. The FBI has been brought in to help determine what might have happened. Volunteer crews still search any places he might have ended up.
Over one million dollars have been spent looking for him. And even so, there is no fresh news. A more cynical person might throw their hands up and abandon the search.
But even after ten months, Portland won’t. And that is going to make all the difference.
For those in the dark, Kyron Horman is Portland’s most well-known missing child. He went missing from his elementary school last year in early June, and despite intensive efforts from law enforcement and search and rescue volunteers alike, he remains unfound. Investigations have centered on his stepmother and searches have been carried out all over Portland and the surrounding areas. The media still reports on his case often, pleading with viewers to keep this boy in their thoughts.
There is no question that Kyron has received more media attention than any other missing child in Oregon. He still hasn’t been found. This begs the question: How does one find a missing child? How much of it is due to law enforcement? How much is civilian and volunteer input? And how much of it is just plain luck?
In many cases, it is a matter of how quickly law enforcement is brought in to deal with the disappearance. The now familiar Amber Alert was created after it was found that 74 percent of missing children who are murdered are killed within three hours of going missing. Now, that alert, along with other factors, has led to an astonishingly high 99 percent of all children reported missing in the United States being found within hours or days of their disappearance. It is almost always the case that these children are found by law enforcement officials.
For the remaining one percent, such as Kyron, the approach must be changed. One in six children missing for prolonged periods are found because someone recognizes them from a photo they’ve been exposed to, whether on the news, in the paper, or even on a milk carton. Portland has obviously embraced this; Kyron’s photo is everywhere.
But the real key to finding someone who has gone missing is purely looking. In the days and weeks following Kyron’s disappearance, searches and sweeps were an everyday occurrence. His photo and story was passed along both in fliers and by word of mouth. Everyone’s eyes were peeled, looking for even the slightest hint of the boy. While the efforts have tapered off to a point, they’re not anywhere near being abandoned.
In February, investigators from the FBI joined the search. In March, volunteers searched the North Plains area, and Kyron’s biological mother, Desiree Young, staged a roller derby to raise funds for the search. The chief investigator is confidant Kyron will be found, even ten months after he first went missing.
There are theories from all sides regarding what might have happened to Kyron Horman. A number of people believe that the disappearance was somehow orchestrated by his stepmother, while others attribute it to an abduction or the boy getting lost outside his school. A few even suggest he was a runaway at the tender age of seven, as far-fetched as that is. The media has been focusing on these theories recently, reporting on his case with some regularity. Regardless of what really happened to him, the boundless speculation is keeping the focus on him.
Portland refuses to abandon the search for Kyron. More importantly, the people of Portland are unrelenting in their belief that he won’t be missing long. Whether it takes one million more dollars or one million more people, Kyron will be found. Portland will make sure of that. ?