PORTLAND -- In the ongoing effort to uncover details about seven-year-old Kyron Horman's disappearance, police on Friday were asking some very specific questions.
A questionnaire just sent to all staff, delivery drivers and students' parents at Skyline asked, Did your child see Kyron's step-mom, Terri on 6/4/10, at or near the school? It also asked, Did your child see a white Ford F250 pickup truck on 6/4/10 at or near the school?
Terri Horman was driving the white truck on the day Kyron disappeared. The questionnaire also showed photos of Terri and the truck.
Capt. Jason Gates said during a press conference that the photos and questions were an effort to jog people's memory in the case, since Terri was the last person who saw Kyron alive.
Gates added that the family was in full support of the decision to circulate the new questionnaire Friday. He read a family statement that said, Any parent would understand the grief that this causes our family... please know that we fully support the release of this flier and we want Kyron home and we hope that this will do that.
Gates refused to comment about any possible suspects or persons of interest in the case.
The other questions on the form were more generic in nature, including Did your child see Kyron on 6/4/10? and Where did your child see Kyron?
TIP LINE: (503) 261-2847
Photos: Kyron Horman
Download: Print/Share POSTER of Kyron
The Kyron investigation will be featured on 'America's Most Wanted' this coming weekend while locally, searchers continue to focus on areas in and around Sauvie Island.
This week's issue of 'People' shows a photo of Kyron on the cover and features an article about his case. In addition, 30 billboards were going up across Oregon with Kyron's photo and tipline. Police were hoping the extra attention will bring even more tips and clues for them to follow up on.
Police said the tips continue to pour in, but stopped short of sharing specifics.
Timeline: Search for Kyron Horman
Hoping to spark someone's memory and get new tips in the case, police recently created and circulated photos of Kyron without his glasses. The hope was that it would help people see what Kyron would look like if he was no longer wearing them. They also previously shared photos of Kyron's glasses and replicas of the clothing he was wearing when he disappeared.
Photos: Kyron without glasses / Kyron's glasses / Kyron's outfit
While strangers continued to try and reach out in any way possible, police warned that scammers were targeting some people by asking for donations to a bogus support fund. Anyone approached in person or over the phone for donations should first check with police to determine if they're legitimate.
Earlier in the week, friends, family, classmates, and community members gathered at the Sunset Presbyterian Church to pray for the safe return of Kyron Horman during a candlelight vigil and showed support for the struggling family who watched from a private suite.
Meantime, investigators had intensified their search in the area of Sauvie Island. From KGW's Sky 8 helicopter, searchers in wetsuits were seen moving through waist-high water while someone on shore provided directions. A dive team searched swamps and ponds around the rural NW Portland area, and crews also searched around the Multnomah Channel. Investigators would not say what led them to this area, but it was the fourth consecutive days that crews scoured Sauvie Island.
Sky 8 video: Divers at Sauvie Island
This will not become a cold case for us, Capt. Jason Gates promised during Monday morning's press conference.
Video: Gates statement
On Sunday, authorities announced that the search and rescue operation had officially transformed into a criminal investigation after 10 days of searching with no sign of Kyron. Details:Search statistics
$25,000 reward offered
An emotional Sheriff Dan Staton announced a $25,000 reward for any information that leads to the location of Kyron.
The investigation is going in many directions and the criminal investigation is a natural progression, said Staton.
On Saturday, investigators asked anyone with photos or videos created on June 3 or June 4 of roads around Skyline school to provide them to police. Video of specific locations was being sought.
Family talks about Kyron
The family of Kyron Horman answered personal questions about the 7-year-old via Multnomah County Sheriff's Capt. Mike Shults during a Saturday media briefing and also explained some of their outings in the last week - to stores and a health club.
Shults said that the family was extremely stressed by their Friday appearance, but understood that the public might have wanted to learn more about Kyron. To that end, they answered a set of prepared questions and described the boy's bubbly personality.
Capt. Shults also said two companies volunteered to help them print the T-shirts they wore that reproduced the missing flier. Several of the T-shirts were provided to the media. He offered no other details on the shirts.
The morning he disappeared, Kyron was in good spirits, excited about the tree frog diorama he had created for the science fair, Shults said.
Video: Watch the Shults briefing
On the search end, efforts continue to find Kyron alive, said Sgt. Diana Olsen of the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.
We know where he's not, so we feel we're getting closer to where he is, she said. She declined to say why searchers were on Sauvie Island, a considerable distance from Skyline School.
Cash donations to defray search expenses were still welcome at any Bank of America Branch under the Kyron Horman Fund. Searchers no longer need food donations and the sheriff's office asked people to stop giving for now.
Family reached out to Kyron
On Friday, the family appeared for the first since since Kyron disappeared June 4 made an emotional plea for help for the 7-year-old.
Please help us bring Kyron home, Kaine Horman, the boy's father said.
The community as a whole have shown how much impact one little boy s smile can have on a community, said Kyron s step-father, Tony Young. Then, he spoke directly to Kyron: You mean everything to us and until you come home, this family is not complete. We believe in you and know you will be back with us soon.
VIDEO: Watch family statement
After Young spoke, the two men embraced while their wives comforted each other in the background.
Kyron's outfit on display
Just one hour earlier, police revealed a replica of the clothing Kyron Horman was wearing when he disappeared. Police hoped that this new information would help create more leads to assist them in their effort to locate the missing boy.
Police said Horman was wearing a black CSI T-shirt, dark cargo-style pants, Hanes athletic socks and well-worn Skechers sneakers.
Late Friday morning, family members were seen wearing white T-shirts with the missing persons poster of Kyron on them.
A family member gave one of the T-shirts to KGW Reporter Erica Heartquist. KGW learned the family had the T-shirts individually made. There was no word whether the shirts would be available to the public.
Search intensifies from air, ground
On Friday, investigators urged people to carry Kyron Horman s missing poster with them always, memorize his face, and look for him everywhere they go, as the search for the missing seven-year-old stretched into its eighth day.
As the search grows longer, our resolve grows stronger to bring Kyron home, said Capt. Monte Reiser with the Multnomah County Sheriff s Office.
Sgt. Diana Olsen, the search and rescue coordinator for the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, admitted on Thursday that volunteers were growing weary before the reinforcements arrived, but now there are fresh ground-pounders out there, looking for Kyron with the help of dogs and even horses.
Written statement from family
During a noon Wednesday press conference, Lt. Mike Shults, the Multnomah County Sheriff s Department liaison for the Horman family, read a statement on behalf of the family.
Kyron s family would like to thank everyone for their support and interest in finding their son. The outpouring of support and continued effort strengthens their hope, Shults said. There are a lot of resources out there to help. Please don t stop.
Shults added that the family has been in great pain since Kyron s disappearance and said the reason why they have not granted interviews is because they want all the attention focused on solely on Kyron.Read: Entire family statement
FBI mobile command center arrives
Also Wednesday, the FBI added a mobile command center to the search effort Wednesday, with hopes that it will help coordinate the growing search effort. Meantime, the lead investigator said search crews were doing everything they could to stay focused and positive.
It's always frustrating when we're not finding anything, especially when we have such high hopes. But we're going to keep on until something happens, one searcher told KGW.
Details of investigation kept secret
Criminal profiler Dr. Ron Turco explained to KGW why police keep things secret. Watch the full interview.
You don't want the perpetrator to be able to react to what you know, he said. You want to keep that person in the dark.
Information is a key tool after an arrest, he added.
You want to be able to have - secretly - information that you know, you know that he or she knows, that you haven't disclosed, he said.
Earlier in the week, Capt. Gates said police had received more than 1,200 tips and were following up on hundreds of leads pouring into a special tipline.Those leads involved information being sent to state and federal law enforcement agencies from across Oregon and in parts of Washington.
Kyron, we re going to get you home buddy, Gates promised, his voice cracking and his eyes tearing up. Nothing is more important to your family, your friends and to us. Video: Capt. Gates promises to find Kyron
Kyron missing since June 4
Kyron and his step-mother, Terri Moulton Horman, arrived at Skyline Elementary School around 8 a.m. Friday and attended a science fair at the school. Around 8:45 a.m. Terri said goodbye to Kyron and watched the second-grader walk down the hallway toward his classroom. Police say that the last time the boy was seen was about 9 a.m. Investigators have not revealed who saw Kyron last, or whether he attended his first class.
Timeline: Search for Kyron Horman
At 3:45 p.m., when the school bus arrived at Kyron's stop without him on board, his step-mom called the school. She was told he was marked absent by his teacher. She called 9-1-1 just before 4 p.m. and the search effort was launched.
Portland schools sent an automated message to parents in the school district that the boy was missing. Meanwhile, police walked the school grounds with K-9 tracking teams, searched every room and closet inside the school and even checked the roof.
FBI and police coordinating search effort
The search quickly snowballed as word of the little boy s disappearance spread among the small school s community in Northwest Portland. Police said the search area was spread across 20 miles of roadway and two square miles of land. Officers also handed out fliers and questioned drivers and area residents Monday.
Police indicated their search was not limited to the area around the school but they would not specify where else they were searching.
Map:Search area
By Monday, the search included 22 law enforcement agencies, according to Capt. Gates.
FBIprofiler examines evidence
An FBI profiler was studying everything from Kyron s schoolwork to his friends, to try and determine where the little boy might be. Two local criminal experts told KGW that if Kyron was kidnapped, he believes all the clues point to someone who knew the boy, not a stranger.
Investigators on Sunday interviewed parents of other students at the school, trying to come up with even the smallest clues about what could have happened. The parents and Kyron s fellow students came to the school voluntarily on a staggered basis to interview with detectives. Authorities were also reviewing photos and videos taken during the school's Friday morning science fair, where several people reported seeing Kyron.
Kyron described as a really good kid
Parent Gina Zimmerman said she last saw Kyron in the morning, when he posed in a classroom in front of his red-eyed tree frog science project. She said her daughter is one of Kyron s best friends and she knew him well.
Zimmerman said that Kyron was not the type of child to wander off. He knows 'stranger danger, she said. He's a really good kid.
Parents were shocked at the disappearance, she said, and have been calling to share concerns at our little school where everyone knows everybody.
To try and quell those fears, security was increased at the school Monday. Counselors were also on hand to talk to distraught students and staff members. In addition, the district began mandating the use of an automated attendance call system to notify families of any unexcused absences.
By the end of the week, investigators interviewed all the families of the 300 Skyline students. Gates said parents had been very cooperative.
No Amber Alert issued
Some parents wanted to know why an Amber Alert wasn t issued. Sheriff Gates said that tool works only when citizens can be offered descriptions of specific suspects or vehicles, which was not the case in this situation.
Parents were urged to talk to their children about stranger danger and explain what to do if they were in Kyron s situation.
Anyone who has seen Kyron or knows of his whereabouts was asked to call (503) 261-2847.
