Police continue searching river as boy's disappearance hits one-week mark
Police continue searching river as boy's disappearance hits one-week mark
Anna Ortiz
The quiet path along the Little Calumet River in Hammond has transformed since 12-year-old Kyrin Carter went missing last Saturday.
Police tape, horse tracks, ATV paths, countless footprints, balloons, pink ribbons and glow sticks mark a week’s worth of efforts to find Kyrin, who has autism. The boy was reported missing May 15 after he walked out of the Best Western on 179th Street in Hammond.
Hammond police Lt. Steve Kellogg said investigations by divers Friday night and Saturday morning yielded no results, and that the search continues.
“The dive team was out this morning checking areas of interest and nothing came to fruition,” he said.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources dispatched a 16-foot boat Saturday afternoon. It is equipped with fixed sonar, in which the sonar range can be adjusted to wide or narrow spaces, said DNR Conservation Officer Terri Millefoglie.
Kellogg said public safety officials will reconvene in the next few days to discuss the next stages of the search.
Despite a recent news report from Chicago Fox 32 that surveillance footage showed Kyrin Carter walking into the water, Kellogg said this was not the case and no such surveillance had been recovered.
This past week the rear parking lot of the Best Western has been packed with broadcast news vans with towering antennas, searchers, four-wheelers and even horses.
Civilian searchers still held on hope and came out to the Little Calumet River Saturday.
“I just hope and pray Kyrin comes back safe to his parents,” said Sylvia Roberson, of Hammond. “It’s been a week. It’s so sad. I also just want to come out and say my prayers for him and his family.”
Kellogg said the daily search efforts will continue among Hammond public safety officials and the many agencies who have come to their aid.