Overview of Kyron Horman
If you saw Kyron Horman, you would see a small boy with a huge smile, an oversized graphic tee-shirt that nearly swallowed him, two goofy front teeth, and a pair of metal-framed glasses.
Kyron was a second-grader at Skyline Elementary School in Portland, Oregon. Kyron had relatively poor vision unlike most second graders, but it didn't stop him from seeing and enjoying the world around him. If you peeked through Kyron's glasses, you’d see constant trips to aquariums, zoos, forests, and beaches. Kyron's tiny glass frames could give you glimpses of equations from the advanced math placement he was placed into or flashes of sign language, which he had begun picking up.
You would also be able to see a family and community that loved him very much. Whether he was excelling in school, loving the natural world, or on the occasional trip to Disney World, Kyron saw the beauty of life and shared it with others through his enormous smile.
The day Kyron went missing.
June 4, 2010, was anything but a normal day for Kyron because that day he got to present his trifold science project about red tree frogs at his elementary school.
He was especially excited to show his stepmom, Terri, his project.
However, she could only see it if she and Kyron got to school several hours before school started, and she borrowed Kyron's dad's truck to bring Kyron's trifold home. So, she did just that.
The science fair that Kyron would present his work at didn't start till 1:00 pm, but Kyron and Terri arrived at Skyline Elementary with Kaine's truck at 8:00 am as planned. In fact, Kyron and Terri are seen in front of Kyron's exhibit at 8:15 am by the PTA president Gina Zimmerman. At 8:45 am Terri watches Kyron walk toward his classroom before she leaves Skyline Elementary School, without Kyron's science project. Strangely, a Skyline Elementary School student remembers seeing Kyron near the school's south entrance at 9:00 am; this is the last time Kyron is seen alive by anyone.
Skyline classes are in session at 10:00 am but Kyron isn't in attendance, prompting his homeroom teacher, Kristina Porter, to mark him as "absent." After watching Kyron walk towards his classroom, Terri left Skyline elementary without Kyron's science fair project, which was the purpose of borrowing Kaine’s car in the first place, and runs errands between 10:10 am and 11:39 am. These errands included going to two grocery stores and driving her daughter around in the truck to alleviate the pain of her daughter's ear infection until her medicine kicked in. At 11:39 am Terri checks in at a 24-hour gym and works out until 12:40 pm. Later, Terri posts a picture taken early that morning of Kyron and his science fair project on Facebook at 1:21 pm.
At 3:30 pm, Terri and Kaine, Kyron’s father, meet the school bus and learn that Kyron has been absent from school all day, which prompts Susan Hill, the school's secretary, to call 911 to report Kyron missing; police arrive on the scene 45 minutes later. At 5:30 pm, the Portland Public school sends out a mass text to parents that reads "Kyron Horman did not arrive at home today." At 7:45 pm, the Multnomah County Sheriff personally alerts the FBI of Kyron's disappearance, and between 8:09 pm and 10:45 pm, search and rescue teams arrive and conduct a comprehensive search of Skyline elementary school, including a tunnel near the school.
The aftermath of Kyron's disappearance.
The following day, June 5, the search for Kyron continues, staff and parents of children who were at Skyline the day before are told to come to a police briefing on Sunday, and FBI and the national guard have joined the search. The next day, June 6, the FBI brings in a profiler, the community passes out Kyron's missing person flyer, the search for Kyron broadens, and Kyron's case is now being treated as an "endangered child case."
Between June 4, the day Kyron went missing, and June 13, the search for Kyron continued and has expanded into outer territories of the area, including Sauvie island, a small island 6 miles away; however, on June 13, Kyron's case transitions from a missing persons case to a criminal investigation. In the following two weeks, standard search activities ensue: billboards are donated and erected, rumors circulate about Kyron's body found, and more flyers are released.
An update in Kyron’s case occurs on June 18, 2010, when Terri undergoes a second polygraph test. Between June 26 and July 1, Kyron's family undergoes rather serious changes; During this week, two 911 calls are made from the Horman residence, the first evening call reporting a threat and the second night call regarding a custody issue, and Kaine takes his daughter and moves out of the home. Two days later, Terri denies allegations of Kaine moving out with his daughter, the Multonomah County Sherrif's Office releases a statement that the Horman family is cooperating- Terri's name is not mentioned on this document, and media speak about a potential divorce between Terri and Kaine. The following day, June 29, a judge seals an order of protection against Terri and two days later, Kaine files for divorce, gaining full custody of his daughter; Terri is only allowed to communicate with Kaine's daughter via letters and is banned from Skyline Elementary.
Terri's activities characterize the month of July, 2010: a landscaper report to the Oregonian that Terri attempted to hire him as a hit man, Terri moves out of Kaine's house, and law enforcement applies pressure onto Terri's friends, even searching the house of Dede Spicher, a friend of Terri's who was unaccounted for some time the day Kyron went missing.
During the month of August, 2010, witnesses, Skyline administration and staff, as well as family and friends, including Desiree, Kyron’s mother, Tony Young, his stepfather, and Kaine, testify in Multnomah County Circuit Court; an anonymous witness who attended the same gym as Terri on the day Kyron disappeared also testify. Searches for Kyron are still ongoing.
Between August of 2010 and 2016, three main themes of events that repeat. The first theme is the constant search for Kyron via law enforcement, search teams, and volunteers who explore new areas, revisit old areas, and exhaust their options. The second theme that emerges is the legal battles between Terri and Tony and Desiree, which circulates around the finalization of Kaine and Terri's divorce status, calling out Terri's potentially unstable and questionable character and suspicious tendencies, in addition to arguments over money. The last theme is the investigation changing direction; as numerous searches continue to be unsuccessful; law enforcement disbands the task force created for Kyron, narrows their search area, and investigates individuals within the story.
Where the case stands today.
Kyron's search effort was the most extensive search in Oregon’s history, with the assistance of over 1,300 residents of Oregon and surrounding states. Yet, no one has been arrested or held responsible for the disappearance of Kyron Horman. Law enforcement officials have never named an official suspect. The search for Kyron is still ongoing, but as of May 30, 2019, law enforcement narrowed its searches to less than 100 acres. Kyron's friends, family, and community recently held a vigil for Kyron on the 10th anniversary of his disappearance and honored him with a balloon release.
Today, Kyron Horman would be in his 20s, and has remained missing, despite the $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the individual responsible for his disappearance. Anyone with information about Kyron’s disappearance is urged to contact the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office by calling (503) 823-3333.
