Today marks a grim anniversary for the family of Kyron Horman — it has been three agonizing years since the little boy disappeared from Portland, Ore.
Kyron was 7 years old when he disappeared, and Tuesday marks three years since he was last seen. Countless numbers of people have been involved in the search for Kyron. In a Tuesday interview with The Huffington Post, Kyron's father Kaine said he is still hopeful he'll see his son again.
"There have been a lot of cases in the last three years where missing kids have been found [after an extended period of time] and brought home alive, so that definitely gives us hope. It's hard to see that it takes that long sometimes, but it's still a positive outcome," Kaine Horman said.
Kyron Horman was last seen by his stepmother, Terri Horman, walking to his classroom at Skyline Elementary School in Portland on June 4, 2010. When the boy failed to return home later that day, his family called the school and discovered he never showed up to class. Search teams scoured an area spanning several miles, but there was no sign of Kyron. Authorities later reclassified the case from a missing endangered child to a criminal investigation.
In the weeks following Kyron's disappearance, his father obtained a restraining order against Terri, after learning she was allegedly involved in an unrelated murder-for-hire plot. He also filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.
The search for Kyron was one of the most intense in recent Oregon history and attracted national attention. His parents have held countless vigils, passed out thousands of fliers and issued numerous public pleas, all to no avail.
"We do the best we can," Kaine Horman said. "We take all the emotion and channel it. It helps to stay busy and keep a positive outlook instead of getting bogged down with all the negative things, because it would be easy for those things to paralyze you. It's hard, but it's necessary."
In June 2012, Kyron's biological mother, Desiree Young, file a lawsuit against Kyron's stepmother. The lawsuit accuses Terri Horman of kidnapping or hurting Kyron by herself or with help from others. The suit asks a judge to order the woman to return Kyron or, if he is dead, reveal where his remains are. Young is also seeking $10 million, which she has said she would give away. The disposition of the lawsuit is still pending.
The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, the lead agency investigating the case, said they continue to follow up on tips. Terri Horman has not been named a suspect in Kyron's disappearance, and no arrests have been made. She denies her involvement in the disappearance.
While the circumstances of Kyron's disappearance remain a mystery, his father said he has no reason to believe his son is not still alive.
"I believe if foul play was involved we probably would have had closure by now based on what authorities have done – places they have searched and things they have completed as a part of the investigation," KaineHorman said.
"A lack of recovery of anything just indicates he's out there somewhere and there's still a good chance he is alive. We will continue to feel that way until someone proves otherwise," he added.
Kyron has blue eyes, light brown hair, and a big smile.
Anyone with information in the case is asked to contact the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office at 503-988-4300.
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