TX TX - Lina Sardar Khil, 3, last seen on playground @ apartment complex, San Antonio, 20 Dec 2021 #2

[rosesfromangels]

So did I.

These cases typically lend themselves to a quick resolution, even if it is not a happy one. It's unfathomable to me that no one saw anything (I do think this is unlikely), and that apparently nothing was caught on camera.

It's like she was taken by a ghost.

BBM. Exactly.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[TGIRecovered]

I’m trying to work out in my mind what the circumstances were that she was outside playing with other children while she was well dressed with expensive jewelry on.

Maybe the jewelry wasn’t expensive?? Maybe they just got home from somewhere special?? But wasn’t dad at work? Does mom take kiddos out to somewhere special without dad?

I have friends of Eastern Indian heritage, (from Nepal, not Afghanistan), who keep gold bracelets and pierced earings on all of their girls from the time they are babies. They even wear them to sleep. I don't know if it's cultural or for religious purposes. The bracelets were real gold. The earrings looked like tiny diamonds. I think it's pretty common for those who can afford it but I could be mistaken.

 

[rosesfromangels]

I have friends of Eastern Indian heritage, (from Nepal, not Afghanistan), who keep gold bracelets and pierced earings on all of their girls from the time they are babies. They even wear them to sleep. I don't know if it's cultural or for religious purposes. The bracelets were real gold. The earrings looked like tiny diamonds. I think it's pretty common for those who can afford it but I could be mistaken.

Interesting article that provides some perspective....
..."
Afghan women wear jewelry as adornment and for its symbolism. Sterling silver is preferred as a metal of modesty. Agate is believed to bring good luck and protection; lapis lazuli is considered to bear healing powers.

Exquisite though the jewelry may be, much of it is worn daily, Tawfiq said, even among those toiling in the fields...."

Behind The Scenes : Clothes and Jewelry of Afghanistan Modestly Speak the 'Language of Exotic Fashion'

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[Seattle1]

I think Eastern children's jewelry is mainly plated brass - not high value.

In this case, MSM has been specific about Lina's jewelry being plastic.

1/18/22 New clue in search for missing three-year-old Lina Sardar Khil | kens5.com

As for the picture, Allen said that was the outfit Lina was wearing along with the jewelry. The bracelets are blue plastic and gold-tone. She was wearing an article around her neck known as the 'taweez' that has verses from the Quran.

 

[Seattle1]

I think Lina was dressed up complete with her hair done because the family had plans to go to a dinner party on Monday -- the day she disappeared:

Jan 16, 2022

From freedom to sadness - San Antonio Express, 1/16/2022

Monday, Dec. 20, 2021, was supposed to be festive for Lina’s family. Her mother is expecting a third child. They were preparing for dinner and a party at the home of Khil’s brother-in-law that evening.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

‘Just return Lina back’: Father of missing 3-year-old girl recounts sorrowful month after daughter reported missing

 

[Seattle1]

January 20, 2022, 10:18 PM

‘Just return Lina back’: Father of missing 3-year-old girl recounts sorrowful month after daughter reported missing

See news video at link -- father describes where the mother was sitting on the stairs leading to the party pavilion and also states there was a lot of maintenance happening around the complex -- more traffic than normal.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

 

[OldCop]

This is like the third different explanation of where Lina’s mother was when Lina disappeared. The other day it was Lina who was playing on the steps with other children. I am not being accusatory. I think everyone is trying to minimize time and distance, but it doesn’t help when you are trying to investigate/analyze what happened, where, when, and how. We still have 18 missing minutes.
One thing is very clear after viewing the newscast; that parking lot is a lot closer to the pavilion and play area than it looked from Google maps. If the children ran out into that parking area and Lina dawdled on the way back towards the pavilion, then it’s possible that someone in or between one of the parked cars could conceivably have grabbed her without the other children realizing what happened. MOO

 

[logical]

I wonder if it is possible that someone accidentally struck her with a vehicle in the parking lot, realized the damage, perhaps had been drinking, panicked… and then took her afterward.

Probably a long shot, but would be worth looking at vehicles with front end damage.

 

[Lillymac]

This is like the third different explanation of where Lina’s mother was when Lina disappeared. The other day it was Lina who was playing on the steps with other children. I am not being accusatory. I think everyone is trying to minimize time and distance, but it doesn’t help when you are trying to investigate/analyze what happened, where, when, and how. We still have 18 missing minutes.
One thing is very clear after viewing the newscast; that parking lot is a lot closer to the pavilion and play area than it looked from Google maps. If the children ran out into that parking area and Lina dawdled on the way back towards the pavilion, then it’s possible that someone in or between one of the parked cars could conceivably have grabbed her without the other children realizing what happened. MOO

You are exactly right about the parking lot. And there is no obstructed view or a corner. Maybe it's a different parking area they are talking about.

 

[katydid23]

I remember the reports saying that Mom was sitting on a bench with the 2 yr old while watching Lina with the other kids, who were running up and down the stairs and around the buildings, through the walkways.

. And someone posted the picture of the bench and we looked to see what mom could observe from that bench. So it is odd to now hear she was sitting on the steps.

 

[distracted]

This is like the third different explanation of where Lina’s mother was when Lina disappeared. The other day it was Lina who was playing on the steps with other children. I am not being accusatory. I think everyone is trying to minimize time and distance, but it doesn’t help when you are trying to investigate/analyze what happened, where, when, and how. We still have 18 missing minutes.
One thing is very clear after viewing the newscast; that parking lot is a lot closer to the pavilion and play area than it looked from Google maps. If the children ran out into that parking area and Lina dawdled on the way back towards the pavilion, then it’s possible that someone in or between one of the parked cars could conceivably have grabbed her without the other children realizing what happened. MOO

Yes, I have been thinking that the reason no one saw anything is because Lina was slow to leave with the group of children as they were returning to the play area. And then someone saw an opportunity, unfortunately.

What held the attention of this group of children for as long as 18 minutes? Surely, at least one of the children could communicate what they were doing for that substantial length of time. This is why I don't believe she got lost. IMO, if she was distracted by someone or something while the kids were leaving the parking lot, someone took advantage of that.

Did the children walk to the other play area? And then someone followed them back?

 

[Ozoner]

One month. I really thought this would be solved quickly.

I can't help but believe someone saw something and someone knows something and they are key.

Yes, I have been thinking that the reason no one saw anything is because Lina was slow to leave with the group of children as they were returning to the play area. And then someone saw an opportunity, unfortunately.

What held the attention of this group of children for as long as 18 minutes? Surely, at least one of the children could communicate what they were doing for that substantial length of time. This is why I don't believe she got lost. IMO, if she was distracted by someone or something while the kids were leaving the parking lot, someone took advantage of that.

Did the children walk to the other play area? And then someone followed them back?

Do we know how many children were with Lina and what heir ages were? If they were all very young, then they might have a hard time providing any useful information.

As you say, it's likely that Lina was grabbed when she became separated from the other children, if only for a moment. Predators wait for opportunities; they're just like thieves in that respect. A thief will sit in a parking lot all day waiting to see a woman walk into a store without her purse—because then he knows that she most likely left her purse in her car, and that's the car that he'll target for a smash-and-grab.

 

[distracted]

Do we know how many children were with Lina and what heir ages were? If they were all very young, then they might have a hard time providing any useful information.

As you say, it's likely that Lina was grabbed when she became separated from the other children, if only for a moment. Predators wait for opportunities; they're just like thieves in that respect. A thief will sit in a parking lot all day waiting to see a woman walk into a store without her purse—because then he knows that she most likely left her purse in her car, and that's the car that he'll target for a smash-and-grab.

Not that I'm aware. Evidently, it's part of a video that has not been released to the public and I've only seen the children referenced as a "group". My guess is at least three or four. Otherwise, they would have characterized it as a couple or several.

I agree they might have a hard time expressing where they went or what they were doing but 18 minutes is a long time to have walked away on their own and have no recollection of where they went. Maybe they did tell LE and LE was satisfied.

That said, I have considered that they went to a place they weren't supposed to go to and don't want to tell for fear of being in trouble, esp. since Lina is now missing. There might have been an older child among them, for all we know, who they simply followed.

I just hope that LE saying they don't have evidence she was abducted doesn't mean they aren't considering the idea that she was. I'm just so surprised they haven't found her if they think she's "a missing person," whatever that means.

 

[distracted]

This is like the third different explanation of where Lina’s mother was when Lina disappeared. The other day it was Lina who was playing on the steps with other children. I am not being accusatory. I think everyone is trying to minimize time and distance, but it doesn’t help when you are trying to investigate/analyze what happened, where, when, and how. We still have 18 missing minutes.
One thing is very clear after viewing the newscast; that parking lot is a lot closer to the pavilion and play area than it looked from Google maps. If the children ran out into that parking area and Lina dawdled on the way back towards the pavilion, then it’s possible that someone in or between one of the parked cars could conceivably have grabbed her without the other children realizing what happened. MOO

After watching the video again, maybe she wasn't with a group at all. Maybe she was simply playing with the other kids and was out of her mom's sight for short periods of time. And maybe that was normal for them.

But I'm still hung up on the the 18 minutes that are unaccounted and how it fits into this description of where she and her mother were.

 

[OldCop]

I remember the reports saying that Mom was sitting on a bench with the 2 yr old while watching Lina with the other kids, who were running up and down the stairs and around the buildings, through the walkways.

. And someone posted the picture of the bench and we looked to see what mom could observe from that bench. So it is odd to now hear she was sitting on the steps.

Exactly, @katydid23. It was actually me who posted the picture of the bench that I took from one of the media reports. This last video, when the reporter is describing where the mother was sitting and where Lina was running around, explains that Lina was periodically disappearing from Mom’s sight. However, her reenactment actually looks to have Lina disappearing in the opposite direction from from the parking lot.
I believe it likely that the early reports of Mom returning to the apartment for water or whatever are probably correct. If you were physically sitting outside and the children were running all around you, it would take only a few minutes to realize your child was missing. However, if you went back to the apartment for water, maybe used the bathroom or changed the baby, time slips by a lot quicker than you realize. Ask Monkey Vaughan’s father.
As we discussed upthread, this is not to cast aspersions on Lina’s mom. I just think nobody wanted her to look bad or neglectful because Lina disappeared under her watch. Exact timing is critical for investigators, though. A window of opportunity of 18 minutes is much larger and opens so many more possibilities than “just a couple of minutes”. MOO

 

[Psychic Sleuth]

‘Just return Lina back’: Father of missing 3-year-old girl recounts sorrowful month after daughter reported missing

See news video at link -- "father describes where the mother was sitting on the stairs leading to the party pavilion and also states there was a lot of maintenance happening around the complex -- more traffic than normal."

BBM
This is worrisome. I'm assuming LE is investigating all of those maintenance workers.

 

[AJF-Aus]

I’m a mum. An attentive mum. We all go to the park, or a regular place where kids play, and are guilty of taking our eyes off them here and there. Especially when they are in groups. Or in familiar spaces. It’s such a day-to-day thing. It’s not unusual to lose sight of your child for a few mins. And while the reported window may be 10-15-18 mins, really - who knows exactly how long these intervals are where parents are distracted. As someone said previously- in Afghanistan those kids are SO safe within their local communities (generally, war/unrest situations excluded).
So this poor mother is no doubt in absolute agony now.
we need to find out what has happened to this child.
The government MUST change geofence comms and privacy law. Immediately.

 

[modesty blaise]

‘Just return Lina back’: Father of missing 3-year-old girl recounts sorrowful month after daughter reported missing

See news video at link -- "father describes where the mother was sitting on the stairs leading to the party pavilion and also states there was a lot of maintenance happening around the complex -- more traffic than normal."

BBM
This is worrisome. I'm assuming LE is investigating all of those maintenance workers.

I've always felt it was someone there in that capacity. I would love to know where the dogs lost her scent.