"...Investigators suspect more than one person was involved in Kyron's disappearance and thatmore than one crime occurred: an alleged murder-for-hire scheme by the boy's stepmother against her husband before the boy went missing, Kyron's kidnapping, and who knows what else. They're still unsure what happened to the child, and have had to consider all options, including his being abducted, becoming a victim of human trafficking or being killed...A grand jury has heard from at least 40 witnesses and continues to meet intermittently. ... "I wanted to know what's going on because I lost confidence in the investigation," he said. "I felt the case was moving towards a cold case, and I was concerned. We had collected a ton of information, and nothing was being answered."
He called a special meeting of the lead investigators, who shared what they knew. His confidence was bolstered. There was an investigative plan. A slew of cell phone tower records were being sought, and computer records and thousands of e-mails were to be analyzed, but persons of interest had emerged whose alibis about where they were during the six crucial hours before Kyron was reported missing didn't stack up. The stepmother failed two polygraphs and walked out on a third, exams administered by different law enforcement agencies.
In October, the investigation, which at one time involved more than 42 law enforcement agencies and search and rescue groups, switched to a nine-member multiagency task force. The sheriff's office got an extra $209,000 to cover overtime, and an investigative technician, ....
The task force continues to sort leads, identify persons of interest and track Terri Horman's e-mails and phone calls before, after and since Kyron went missing, and it has enlisted the help of the Oregon Department of Justice to analyze cell phone tower records, and a regional lab to review computer files of potential suspects.
They must look at all potential theories: They suspect Kyron's stepmother's involvement, but did she pass the boy off to someone? Could the boy have been taken along the I-5 corridor and out of the country? They also must identify and interview child predators and sex offenders living in the area.
"They're a lot further along," Staton said. "They started out with a long laundry list. ... They've gradually been able to eliminate people who they can say are absolutely not involved. This investigation has narrowed it down significantly."
And, with "not one shred of evidence to indicate the child has died," Staton said, investigators must push forward as though Kyron is still alive. ..."