(Photo: Mult. Co. Sherriff’s Dept).
If you live in or around Portland you have almost certainly already heard the heart-breaking news (which has made it’s way onto front page of CNN) of a seven year-old boy who has been missing since Friday. Kryon Horman was last seen at school on Friday and as of this morning, there remains an all-out search underway for him in the hills around Forest Park.
Over the weekend I heard from Kim Blomgren, a parent from Kyron’s school, Skyline Elementary. She’s well aware that the hills around the school are popular biking areas and she’s hoping to enlist the eyes of people on bikes to find him:
“I know the cycling community is often in the NW Skyline Blvd, Newberry, Highway 30 and Forest Park area and wanted to see if it would be possible to circulate his face to as many people in the cycling community as possible that they might be on high alert for him when — especially when in these areas.”
As demonstrated by the many stolen bikes we’ve recovered, people traveling at bike pace tend to notice more of their surroundings. If you find yourself riding in these areas, keep a look out for Kyron.
He’s 3’8″ tall, 50 pounds, has blue eyes and brown hair. He was last seen wearing black cargo pants, white socks, and Skecher Tennis shoes with orange trim. He has on a black CSI t-shirt and wears glasses. If anyone has any information, they should please call Multnomah County Sheriff’s Tip Line at (503) 261-2847. Or, for urgent information 911.
Read more coverage in The Oregonian.
Thanks for reading.
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None of the reports I’ve heard have mentioned his biological mother. They mention his step-mother reporting him missing at the end of the school day. They mention the FBI interviewing some 200 classmates and parents. They report searching the woods around the school. Yet, no one has bothered to report on what should be the obvious: what’s up between his biological parents?
Before getting the whole community whigged-out, seems an important distinction to me.
Lets find the boy before digging into unknown terriority
I rode through this search on Saturday a.m. before I’d read the news. I saw dozens of bikes out there this wknd, that’s a lot of eyes moving slower and quieter than cars.
West Cougar: KATU, the O and others reported the mom came up to PDX from Medford on Saturday after contacted by the cops. And I’d bet that if you’re imagining it, so is the FBI.
Too bad he’s not a folding bike; people would be forming posses and searching all over the city for him.
Lets find the boy before digging into unknown terriority
My question was completely relevant. There’s no reason for the whole community to mobilize if there is reasonable suspicion this was a fairly typical case of custody dispute gone bad.
A few weeks ago in Salem there was an attempted abduction of a 3 y.o. from a park. Only after having it all over the news for a couple days did they follow-up that kidnapper was the boy’s biological father and estranged boy friend of the mother. I think that’s more than a little important detail for parents worried about the risks to their own children.
Paul, thanks for clarifying. I haven’t seen that. Do you have a link? Thanks.
#5..I completely agree. the media is leaving out some very key facts about the boy’s family and how he went “missing” for 7 hours while at supposedly at school. last seen at 8am…his step-mother was notified about 3:45pm…?
I highly doubt the kid will be found walking down Skyline blvd on the white line….or on some single track trail in Forest Park…
I think it is sickening that some of you are worried about the inconveniences of getting the community involved when we are talking about the life of a seven year old boy. This article is simply asking bikers to keep an eye out, and somehow that offends you?
A) Do your research, because the biological parents have been mentioned, the mother flew in from Medford after hearing the news. The stepmother has raised the child since he was an infant.
B) He was missing for seven hours because the school didn’t bother to phone the parents that he was absent. The mother wasn’t “notified” he was missing, she went to pick him up from the school bus stop and only then found out he had been marked absent at school.
C) We all know the longer a child is missing the worse their chances for a safe recovery are, that is why amber alerts and quick community involvement is crucial. I am sure there is “a reasonable suspicion” about the parents, etc. Still, not a reason to waste precious time when talking about a child’s life.
And, lastly, if you have to wait for a report of some other child getting kidnapped before you are concerned with the safety of your own children, then you have serious problems.
Thank you to the article author for getting the word out. It is because of people like you who do the simple things, though maybe not convenient, that save children’ lives.
West Cougar:
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/06/details_emerge_about_the_day_k.html
FWIW I’m not a panicky OMG AMBER ALERT type at all. Most child disappearances have custody fights or runaway behavior at the bottom, wouldn’t surprise me in this case either.
But if you’re already riding Forest Park or Skyline, would it kill you to keep your eyes/ears open?
Focus on the 7 year old boy. Many eyes and hearts in the community is what is being asked.
As bikers we do see thing that other people don’t.
Let law enforcement deal with the weird parts and leave it out of this page. Why even mention it…
Just be more aware of your surroundings with that boy in mind.
Well said, Wyeast.
I used to ride from the zoo station through Washington Park to NW PDX early in the morning. There were ALOT of homeless people walking out of the forest with sleeping bags in hand.
Dense tree areas are beautiful, but they also have a life of their own in other ways. I hope he didn’t stray too close to a homeless camp.
Forest Park bikers, please keep an eye out for anything!
“None of the reports I’ve heard have mentioned his biological mother. ”
Untrue. You don’t have all the facts. His biological mother and stepfather live in Southern Oregon. He visits her every two weeks. She immediately came to the Portland area on Friday to aid in the search and has been in Portland ever since.
…I just saw this sad news on cable in Abu Dhabi. How sad. Good luck and speed in finding him well.
I think this was something personal. Kyrons parents have not been speaking public nor have photos of his parents surfaced. Why? This could be a undercover cops child or witness protection. I would be wondering why more then anything havent other parents in the school shown pictures or sold pics of parents. When the FBI spoke to all parents in the school I do not believe they were questioned but briefed.
Kristen, his parents are on the news now. (ch 2, 4:00 news)