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

[Psychic Sleuth]

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

I have too. I noticed there is a pool right next to the pavilion area. I wonder if someone might have been there working on the pool. The time when she went missing would be the likely time that maintenance workers would be finishing up for the day. If they had a van and were loading up their equipment with the back doors open, they could have grabbed her and put her in the back and closed the doors and left. It could have happened in seconds.

 

[OldCop]

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?

I’m thinking that the group of children weren’t missing for 18 minutes, only Lina. She was on video at 4:49 and was noticed missing at 5:07. If this group was running around playing, especially if they are quite young, they may not have realized someone was missing until Mom came back and asked ‘Where’s Lina?” I can see them looking around bewildered saying, “I don’t know.” It’s possible they really didn’t see what happened. If an abduction was swift and quiet and didn’t draw attention, these children may have nothing to offer that would help LE.


DEC. 20 — LINA GOES MISSING Lina’s mother left the toddler unattended at the playground for an unspecified amount of time Dec. 20, and Lina was gone when the mom returned, McManus said last week.

An 18-minute gap from 4:49 p.m. to 5:07 p.m has investigators puzzled, as there was no sign of Lina during this time, said Justin Garris, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio office.

Read more at: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article256894622.html#storylink=cpy

 

[cvaldez1975]

They were not tourists on holiday -- the wife's parents were ill! And then they were nearly killed near the airport trying to return to USA.

Before she went missing, Lina’s most traumatic experience was in August. She, her brother and her mother were back in Afghanistan to take care of Lina’s mother’s parents, who were sick. The children joined their mother on the trip because Khil was on the road, making long-distance truck deliveries.

They didn’t anticipate how dangerous it would be. The Afghan government was collapsing as U.S. forces withdrew, ending America’s 20-year involvement in Afghanistan. Taliban fighters overran Kabul, the capital.

Lina and her mother and brother were among thousands of Afghans who swarmed the perimeter of the Kabul airport Aug. 26, desperate to escape. Outside the airport’s Abbey Gate, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt. Lina was knocked to the ground and lost consciousness but escaped further injury.

Khil, who was awaiting their arrival in San Antonio, contacted his father-in-law, who took them back to his home. Eventually, the U.S. arranged for their safe departure from Afghanistan, Khil said.

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

wow they were there! how terrifying!!!

 

[cvaldez1975]

IMO it's possible the earrings and bangles could be less expensive gold - 9k or 10k for example so no, not much value. I have an antique 9k child's bracelet that passed down through the family - silly if you ask me but kids jewelry is a thing in some families.

But to someone who doesn't know jewelry or is looking for something to steal and sell for drugs it might be tempting.

My gut says Lina isn't a robbery victim but I won't completely exclude the possibility that a person, maybe a younger person, targeted her thinking they could score some money. I've even heard of cases of kids killing for designer running shoes so who knows? It's just not at the top of my list right now.

Poor little sweetheart.

BBM a lot of Latinx catholic babies receive gold bracelets and necklaces as gifts for their christening / baptism.

 

[cvaldez1975]

‘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.

it really is... my sisters neighbor has several projects going on around his home w lots of workers and my sisters husband found a crack pipe under her house that had not been there a few days before (he was down there looking at the wiring) just pointing out that different stuff happens when a lot of unfamilar ppl are around.

 

[nyvictoria]

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.

I think the problem could be that the main witnesses seem to be the children that she was playing with. Children are hard enough to interview and get accurate answers. If the children are not fluent in English, that adds another layer of difficulty and possible misinterpretation.

 

[rosesfromangels]

"...Less than 10% of inmates serving time for the rape or sexual assault of a child reported that the victim had been a stranger to them..."

A very worthy read as it relates to this case:
https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/CVVOATV.PDF

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[Ozoner]

"...Less than 10% of inmates serving time for the rape or sexual assault of a child reported that the victim had been a stranger to them..."

A very worthy read as it relates to this case:
https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/CVVOATV.PDF

Amateur opinion and speculation

That statistic that you cited may be accurate as far as it goes, but if you look specifically at cases like there—where a child vanishes from a public place—then the number would likely be much closer to 100% than to 10%.

 

[rosesfromangels]

That statistic that you cited may be accurate as far as it goes, but if you look specifically at cases like there—where a child vanishes from a public place—then the number would likely be much closer to 100% than to 10%.

Absolutely. If we drill down in to sub data sets, new insights would emerge. Race, age, location and gender are predictors, and many other markers as well.
It's not absolute, but a good basis to consider.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[Seattle1]

"...Less than 10% of inmates serving time for the rape or sexual assault of a child reported that the victim had been a stranger to them..."

A very worthy read as it relates to this case:
https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/CVVOATV.PDF

Amateur opinion and speculation

The report cited is dated March 1996, and sources data collected in 1991. I think it possible that both the advances in technology (including to locate and stalk children) since 1991, and a more current supply of data might prove different results. JMO

 

[Seattle1]

That statistic that you cited may be accurate as far as it goes, but if you look specifically at cases like there—where a child vanishes from a public place—then the number would likely be much closer to 100% than to 10%.

If the perp was not a resident, I think the individual was at least familiar with the complex and aware that children often played near the car park with minimal supervision. In other words, I don't think this was somebody that randomly selected this complex on 12/20 and drove off with a child. JMO

 

[Ozoner]

If the perp was not a resident, I think the individual was at least familiar with the complex and aware that children often played near the car park with minimal supervision. In other words, I don't think this was somebody that randomly selected this complex on 12/20 and drove off with a child. JMO

I agree. It may have been someone stalking that location, or a worker, or a resident. Do any registered sex offenders live in the complex?

 

[rosesfromangels]

The report cited is dated March 1996, and sources data collected in 1991. I think it possible that both the advances in technology (including to locate and stalk children) since 1991, and a more current supply of data might prove different results. JMO

Good point. Please share the updated report. TIA.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[Friday Fan]

I agree. It may have been someone stalking that location, or a worker, or a resident. Do any registered sex offenders live in the complex?

No sex offenders in this or the surrounding complex.

 

[PommyMommy]

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.

BBM Are you sure that the entire group of children was missing for 18 minutes? AFAIK, it was reported that Lina wasn't visible during that period of time. Apologies if I missed this! MOO

 

[Friday Fan]

From yesterday:

SAN ANTONIO - Three-year-old Lina Khil disappeared from the Villas del Cabo apartments on Fredericksburg Road exactly one month ago today - on Dec. 20th.

Today, friends came up with an idea to help distract her father, Riaz, from the sad anniversary.

"In order to get him to not focus on that and not be so sad, I asked him and other members of the Afghan community to come and help me take some stuff out of storage," says Pamela Allen, CEO of Eagles Flight, which has helped organize search parties for Lina.

"I knew today was going to be hard. We’re at the month mark and still no Lina and no leads, nothing as to her disappearance."
One-month mark since Lina Kihl's disappearance leads to sad anniversary for family

 

[Seattle1]

Citing three child abduction cases that I've followed on WS -- 2 children were abducted and murdered by strangers that had each stalked their victims, and one was murdered by a relative. In other words, none were random crimes of opportunity. Unfortunately, I believe the same will be true of Lina.

2012 - 6yr old girl was abducted from her bedroom while her entire family slept. Her remains were discovered in a rural area in 2017. It's believed the perp first saw the child months earlier when he stopped at the child's residence inquiring about a car for sale. The perp is a violent offender that was already in custody for prior abduction/murder when charged with this murder. The child's father was unfairly targeted as the main person of interest until the perp led investigators to the child's remains.

Found Deceased - AZ - Isabel Celis, 6, Tucson, 20 April 2012 *Arrest* #27

2020 - 6yr old girl was abducted and murdered by another apartment resident living near the unit the victim shared with her mother and mother's boyfriend. Minutes earlier, the victim had just gotten off the school bus and was last seen playing in front of her unit. Her body was found 3 days later in a wooded area near her home. The perp died by suicide on the same day the child's body was discovered. The perp was a self-described asexual and an incel and had no prior criminal history.

Found Deceased - SC - Faye Marie Swetlik, 6, Cayce, 10 Feb 2020 #5

2019 -- 5-yr old girl was kidnapped from her home sometime after 2 AM by her visiting uncle (mother's brother). After a night of drinking, the uncle was offered the couch for the night. The child was discovered four days later, buried beneath yard debris about a block from her home. She'd been stabbed with a kitchen knife taken from the victim's home. The perp was a low-level drug addict on probation after stealing a car while intoxicated.

Found Deceased - UT - Elizabeth Shelley, 5, Logan, 25 May 2019, *Uncle Arrested* #5

 

[distracted]

BBM Are you sure that the entire group of children was missing for 18 minutes? AFAIK, it was reported that Lina wasn't visible during that period of time. Apologies if I missed this! MOO

No apologies necessary. You are correct. @OldCop confirms above as well.

 

[distracted]

I’m thinking that the group of children weren’t missing for 18 minutes, only Lina. She was on video at 4:49 and was noticed missing at 5:07. If this group was running around playing, especially if they are quite young, they may not have realized someone was missing until Mom came back and asked ‘Where’s Lina?” I can see them looking around bewildered saying, “I don’t know.” It’s possible they really didn’t see what happened. If an abduction was swift and quiet and didn’t draw attention, these children may have nothing to offer that would help LE.


DEC. 20 — LINA GOES MISSING Lina’s mother left the toddler unattended at the playground for an unspecified amount of time Dec. 20, and Lina was gone when the mom returned, McManus said last week.

An 18-minute gap from 4:49 p.m. to 5:07 p.m has investigators puzzled, as there was no sign of Lina during this time, said Justin Garris, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio office.

Read more at: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article256894622.html#storylink=cpy

Thank you! If I understand correctly then, Lina vanished from camera view at 4:49 and never appeared again and then her mother realized she was missing at 5:07; is that right?

 

[Colorado303]

I’m thinking that the group of children weren’t missing for 18 minutes, only Lina. She was on video at 4:49 and was noticed missing at 5:07. If this group was running around playing, especially if they are quite young, they may not have realized someone was missing until Mom came back and asked ‘Where’s Lina?” I can see them looking around bewildered saying, “I don’t know.” It’s possible they really didn’t see what happened. If an abduction was swift and quiet and didn’t draw attention, these children may have nothing to offer that would help LE.


DEC. 20 — LINA GOES MISSING Lina’s mother left the toddler unattended at the playground for an unspecified amount of time Dec. 20, and Lina was gone when the mom returned, McManus said last week.

An 18-minute gap from 4:49 p.m. to 5:07 p.m has investigators puzzled, as there was no sign of Lina during this time, said Justin Garris, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio office.

Read more at: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article256894622.html#storylink=cpy

I think it’s quite possible that “playing with other children” could be more accurately described as playing while other children were around too. Unlike teenagers who tend to travel in packs, it seems younger kids play together intermittently — in between going off to dig in dirt, swing on a swing or pick dandelions.

It was almost dinner time and many parents would be returning home from work. Over time some kids may have gone to the parking lot to greet a parent and walk home together while others trickled back on their own, which left Lina alone and vulnerable. They weren’t being mean or insensitive, nor do I think they’re keeping a secret—they just weren’t around when whatever happened happened.

JMO