OR - Kyron Horman, 7 yo Second grader, Portland, 4 June 2010 - Part #14

[BeanE]

Hello! New here.

I wanted to say something about the ABC article that many people are quoting. The reporter, Russell Goldman, has published at least two on-line articles using the same ambiguous sentence: "He was last seen by his stepmother, walking toward his classroom 150 feet away." (Sources: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Media/parents-missing-kyron-horman-hope/story?id=10891582 and http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Media/suspected-sighting-kyron-horman-missing-boy/story?id=10898522)

Unfortunately, this can be taken two ways. Some are reading it to mean that Terri Horman was the last person to see Kyron. However, it could also mean that this was simply the last time Terri Horman saw Kyron and does not eliminate the possibility that someone other than Terri Horman saw him later.

I think this kind of ambiguity is poor writing and poor journalism. If the journalist has reason to believe that Terri Horman was the last person to see Kyron, then the journalist should have clearly stated that and then have backed it up by crediting a source. Russell Goldman doesn't cite a source for his ambiguous remark.

I think a much more reliable source is Sheriff Dan Staton who has been quoted as saying that the last person to see Kyron was a student at the school who saw Kyron at 9:00 a.m. on June 4, 2010, near the south entrance to the school. Here are the 2 supporting sources:

SOURCE #1:

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/06/still_no_trace_of_kyron_horman.html

Date of Source:

Sunday, June 06, 2010, 10:00 PM, updated Updated: Wednesday, June 09, 2010, 11:01 AM

Significance of Source: This article cites Sherrif Staton as the source of the information.



Significance of this quote:

Sheriff Staton establishes the LOCATION: "near the south entrance to the school".
Sheriff Staton establishes WHO saw Kyron: "a student"


SOURCE #2:

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/06/kyron_horman_search_may_have_s.html

Date of Source:

Saturday, June 12, 2010, 9:30 PM

Significance of Source:

The Oregonian specifically quotes Sherrif Staton as the source of the information and states that the quote was supplied by Staton on Saturday.



Significance of quote:

Sheriff Staton establishes TIME of the last sighting: 9:00 a.m.

Putting it together:

In both quotes, Sheriff Staton is commenting on the last sighting of Kyron. By combining the information from both quotes, I believe that Sheriff Staton is confirming the who, where and when of the last known sighting:

Time: 9:00 a.m.
Where: Near the south entrance to the school
Who: A student (therefore the reference is not to Terri Horman)

Excellent first post. Very well put together and sourced. Thank you so much.

Welcome to Websleuths. Great to have you here

 

[Pensfan]

Welcome to WS, ConcernedCitizen, Cdan, Lavendar and anyone else new to WS!

 

[krazyfingerzz]

Oh come on. The only thing 'disproved' is that the child used the word 'substitute' to refer to the person who was not the regular teacher.

He never said he saw anybody driving anywhere.

Let's not start vilifying a child.

Actually, BeanE is correct:

"Fuhrer said that Tanner told her that he had seen Kyron's mom leaving the school building and Kyron was not with her when she left."

He didn't say that he saw Kyron's SM in the parking lot, just leaving the building, which could simply mean going downstairs, since we know they were on the second floor.

From http://www.examiner.com/x-46795-Mis...r-missing-Kyron-Horman-is-now-a-criminal-case

 

[carole]

This may be a mystery, but does anyone know why there would be LE officers flanking the family on the Sunday PC, and not the Friday one?

LE was standing with them at the Friday pc. They were to the left as we were watching, and one of them moved to the right at some point in the pc.

 

[pufnstuf]

Why the turn against members of law enforcement, retired or otherwise?

I appreciate the perspective of people who have invested the majority of their lives protecting the public, investigating and solving crimes. They have experience that, to my knowledge, NONE of us at WS have.

I don't think that a seasoned profiler's or retired detective's words should be totally discounted simply because somewhere on the internet someone claims that the person has had addiction problems.

To my knowledge, none of them recently in the media have accused anyone. They've only said that the family should be scrutinized, and they've given their experiences in other cases as well as what the statistics often bear out.

And I think it's probably the case that the media sought them out for their opinions, not vice versa. I appreciate their perspective, whether I agree with it or not.

 

[BeanE]

Day 11 briefing -- Sheriff's Office thanks public and partners, moves investigation forward - 06/14/10

Following is a summary of statements made by Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Capt. Jason Gates during the Day 11 briefing on the Kyron Horman case -- held at 11 a.m. at Brooks Hill Historic Church (11539 NW Skyline Blvd., Portland, OR 97231).

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office would like to thank the media for their continuous coverage of the case -- this was vitally important to keep the flow of tips coming in to investigators and Kyron's image fresh in the eyes of the public.

Here are some statistics on the search and investigation thus far: From June 5 to Saturday, June 12, there were a total of 1,300 searchers in the field -- possibly the largest search operation of its kind in the State of Oregon. Additionally, 213 separate investigators from 42 different law-enforcement agencies in Oregon, Washington, and Northern California.

The next phase of this investigation will include a secondary canvassing of the neighborhood and school, as well as transitioning out of the command post on Skyline Road.

We thank Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue for their generosity in opening up their facilities to the Sheriff's Office for use as a command post.

The Sheriff's Office thanks the public for their generous donations of food. The public donated an over 20 pallets of food and refreshments to the search for Kyron. Regional search-and-rescue organizations were sent home with "as much food as they can carry," for use in the busy upcoming search and rescue season. The remainder will be donated to the Portland Rescue Mission.

This is the final scheduled press event at Brooks Hill Historic Church. Media updates will come in the form of regular releases on the Sheriff's Office FlashAlert feed.

We also offer special thanks to Ms. Cindy Banks for opening the Brooks Hill Historic Church to the media and the Sheriff's Office -- this made the process of holding these press events extraordinarily easy.

The Office is steeled in its resolve to not let this become a cold case -- We are focused on this investigation and we remind all citizens of the $25,000 reward for information leading us to Kyron.

Anyone with information regarding Kyron Horman's whereabouts is urged to call the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office tip line 503 261-2847, or to dial 911 with emergency information.

http://www.flashalert.net/news.html?id=1276&alert=1

 

[SleuthyGal]

Wow...this topic is now at 14 parts and moving fast!

I think Kyron deserves his own section/folder since the interest is nearly as high as Caylee.

Thoughts?

 

[pufnstuf]

Oh come on. The only thing 'disproved' is that the child used the word 'substitute' to refer to the person who was not the regular teacher.

He never said he saw anybody driving anywhere.

Let's not start vilifying a child.

I haven't vilified a child and resent that you would cast my words that way.

 

[x_files]

Is there a chance at all he could still be out in the woods lost? Maybe he was afraid of all the helicopters, dogs, etc. and hid or thought he would be in trouble. If he were mine, I would still be out there screaming for him. FWIW, I think HaLeigh could still be alive, but I knew Caylee was dead the first day I heard about her. Did they leave any water out there, in case he is alive? Maybe that is something else we should teach our kids, that if they ever go missing, not to be afraid that they will be punished and not to be afraid of searchers, etc.

Or is being held but still alive like other rare cases.
I hate typing that let alone thinking it.

 

[Bee Charmer]

That kid, poor thing, for his caretakers to allow him to be on tv saying stuff that will eventually probably be disproved.

Indeed, I think some of the stuff that he's said has already been disproved... can't recall right now, though.

What I wonder is how he could see all of this...such as seeing the parking lot well enough to see Terri driving away, when the parking lot is on the other end of the school building. At 8:45, when Terri supposedly left Kyron walking toward his building, Tanner would have been in his classroom or somewhere close by, because the final bell had just rung and kids were in their classrooms being divided up to tour the science fair.

I'm with you, disobeying the FBI's advice and going ahead and allowing Tanner to speak was plainly wrong, imo.

And, just as some are questioning what the two teachers actually saw or thought they saw in regards to Terri leaving with Kyron, so should Tanner's account be questioned. I'm sure LE is attempting to resolve all the conflicting statements.

 

[BeanE]

One thing Tanner said is he saw the SM drive away by herself, without Kyron.

That is absolutely untrue. TP never said he saw anyone driving anywhere.

My God. This poor child. God help and protect him.

 

[mauirain]

That could well be true but in this day and age, it's hard to keep up a false alibi for too long. I guess a lot would depend on how long it took for LE to find out or look seriously for discrepancies. I thought they might have a POI in mind before, but the longer this goes on, and the more they change the game plan, I start to think that they're clueless.

Casey Anthony is still denying everything, I don't she will ever crack and admit to anything...

 

[SleuthyGal]

It's terrible that it takes a case like this, but I bet this school, among others, will look at putting security cameras inside the school as well as outside. They should (consider doing so) at every entrance and exit (meaning: inside AND outside and around the perimeter of the school).

 

[krazyfingerzz]

That is absolutely untrue. TP never said he saw anyone driving anywhere.

My God. This poor child. God help and protect him.

Tanner said the following, not that he saw Terri driving away:

"Fuhrer said that Tanner told her that he had seen Kyron's mom leaving the school building and Kyron was not with her when she left."

From http://www.examiner.com/x-46795-Miss...-criminal-case

 

[Recovering-Lurker]

I was at ************ and saw this that I hadn't come across yet. I found it VERY interesting and wanted other peoples thoughts on it.

If you have not viewed this yet:
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/06/kyron_horman_search_wraps_up_a.html

The single most important question to me, that was answered emphatically:

Do you need to find Kyron to make an arrest?
Sherriff answer: NO.

Another observation: The reward is for information leading to Kyron’s location only.

They know who did this, or the reward would include “for information leading to the arrest of the person’s responsible for his disappearance.

I don't see that info at the link you posted. Am I just missing it?

 

[pufnstuf]

I'm with you, disobeying the FBI's advice and going ahead and allowing Tanner to speak was plainly wrong, imo.

And, just as some are questioning what the two teachers actually saw or thought they saw in regards to Terri leaving with Kyron, so should Tanner's account be questioned. I'm sure LE is attempting to resolve all the conflicting statements.

Yeah, his statements are out there. I feel it was reckless of whomever his caretaker is to allow him to go on camera and put those statements out there.

But now that they're in the media, I believe that we can discuss them and the veracity of them. If they're going to be used at WS as source material, then I think a critical eye should be applied.

 

[cluciano63]

Well, if LE does have a POI, it must be someone they feel is not going anywhere.

 

[eyes4crime]

Desiree has her own family members around her right now. I don't think that the Youngs are staying with the Hormans.

Not sure how you know these things Puff, do you know Desiree personally or are you getting information from a family member? You also mentioned SM had her 18mo in daycare that Friday, and I never heard that (sure could have missed it all). Please include links or let us know where these 'facts' are coming from. TIA

 

[Deeemdee]

Our public school doors are locked on the outside, but can be pushed open from the inside. no one can get in from the outside, unless someone pushes it open for them.
Now, if this is true, it had to be planned prior to Kyron opening the door - IMO - he knew someone would be waiting for him there.
I would say IF Kyron left from that exit, he would have had to push that door open himself. Now, LE says not a stranger - so he pushed the door open in order to leave with someone who was waiting for him.

The case of the little girl taken from the school in St. Louis ---I believe the door hadn't latched correctly. Here, with the bringing in of projects from cars, etc, someone could have done something as simple as prop a door open a bit with a rock. It's a thought.

 

[mauirain]

One thing Tanner said is he saw the SM drive away by herself, without Kyron.

I wonder where Tanner was when he said he saw this, and how credible LE thinks he is??? Was he in parking lot?????