THE KYRON HORMAN CASE – UPDATED!
By Matt Johnson
Search has narrowed nine years after the 7-year-old disappeared
Unsolved Magazine: What happened to Kyron Horman on June 4, 2010?
Matt Johnson: Kyron Richard Horman was excited to go to school that day because it was the science fair at Skyline Elementary School in Portland where he attended the second grade. That morning he put on his glasses and “CSI” tv-show t-shirt and his step-mother, Terri Horman took him to school. She took his picture next to his green cardboard project display of the “Red-Eyed Tree Frog” at the pre-class science fair. She told police she watched him walk down the hall to his first class and then left the school. Kyron disappeared within an hour of that photo.
UM: When was he discovered missing?
MJ: Kyron’s step-mother Terri says she walked to the bus stop with her husband (Kyron’s father) Kaine Horman, with their toddler Kiara to meet Kyron after school. Kyron never got off the bus and that’s when the bus driver said he was never on the bus in the first place. The bus driver called the school secretary at Skyline Elementary and discovered he was marked absent from all his classes. The Secretary called Portland Police and the school enacted an emergency robo-call to all parents.
UM: What was the community response?
MJ: Local news responded immediately and set up shop at a nearby church. Outside was rows and rows of TV trucks and satellite trucks for news networks. Inside is where police updated the media and volunteers assembled. Reporters called it Camp Kyron for what would become the biggest investigation in Oregon State history, and the biggest to this day.
UM: How much attention was given to Kyron Horman’s case?
MJ: It was national news from the very beginning and led every single local newscast for the first three months. The case was covered on Oprah, Dr.Phil, Dateline, Good Morning America, the Today Show, Nancy Grace, every news program and news magazine was in Portland or covering this case via satellite.
UM: Who from the family gave updates to the media?
MJ: At first Kyron’s parents did not address the media. Then about a week later, Kyron’s mother Desiree Young, his father Kaine and stepmother Terri took to the podium together, dressed in t-shirts with Kyron’s picture on them. Reporters who were there described it as a tense and eerie news conference. Terri Horman cried on Kyron’s mothers’ shoulder and they held hands.
UM: Kyron’s mother has since publicly accused Terri Horman of withholding information?
MJ: I spoke with Kyron’s mom just before the news conference held on the 9th anniversary of her son’s disappearance for an episode of my podcast called “True Crime Deadline”. She called Terri a horrible person and said she believes Terri is involved somehow in her son’s disappearance. She also reiterated that she wants police to keep pressure on Terri for more answers. Terri has always denied any involvement in Kyron’s disappearance and said in recent interviews with “Dr. Phil” and “PEOPLE Magazine” that she believes Kyron was abducted and is still alive.
UM: Has Terri Horman ever been named a suspect?
MJ: No. Terri has denied any involvement in Kyron’s disappearance and has never been named a suspect in the case. However, Horman failed two separate polygraph tests around the time of Kyron’s disappearance. She told Dr. Phil that she is hard of hearing and could not fully understand the questions. Horman has also said she told the truth and does not know why she failed.
UM: Is there anyone else police have questioned?
MJ: Young and investigators have tried to get information from several friends of Terri Horman including DeDe Spicher. Spicher reportedly abruptly left her job in Northwest Portland on the morning Kyron disappeared and returned 90 minutes later. She also allegedly helped Horman buy a burner cell phone according to media reports at the time. In July 2010, a Multnomah County grand jury subpoenaed Spicher. Law enforcement called her cooperative and said she allowed a search of her car and property. Spicher was never charged for any crime.
In October 2012, Spicher refused to answer more than 140 questions during deposition for Youngs lawsuit against Horman. Some of the questions were in regard to her whereabouts and contact with Terri the day Kyron disappeared. She also refused to identify a photo of Kyron and say whether or not she had ever met Kyron before.
UM: Are there any known suspects according to law enforcement?
MJ: There is no named suspect or description of a suspect according to Multnomah County Sheriff’s investigators. Investigators still seek information concerning two people who were seen sitting in Terri’s truck, outside the school the morning Kyron disappeared and say they could hold the clue needed to crack the case wide open. Kyron’s mother seeks any information concerning the school, and people around the school that morning.
UM: Where did Terri Horman go after she says she dropped Kyron off at school?
MJ: According to police statements, Horman said she dropped Kyron off at school around 9 AM. She took a photo of him at 8:45 AM, watched him walk down the hall and then got in her truck and drove away. Horman said she drove around with her 19-month-old daughter Kiara, to help ease her earache and help her sleep, she then ran errands, went to the local Fred Meyer grocery store, went to the gym and posted pictures on Facebook of Kyron at the science fair before going to the bus stop to pick him up.
UM: Are we sure Kyron made it to school that day?
MJ: Yes. Desiree Young told me the photo has been confirmed through GPS with the FBI. So, we know he was at Skyline Elementary and standing in front of his exhibit at 8:45AM on June 4th 2010. Young also told me during my podcast episode on the case, that someone may have seen Kyron and Terri walking away from the school leaving the that morning. But it is still unknown what happened after the photo was taken.
UM: Where have law enforcement and volunteers searched?
MJ: In the first few days and weeks following Kyron’s disappearance it seemed as though the whole town was looking for this little boy. More than 60 detectives from local police, sheriff’s and the FBI, 60 trained searchers and hundreds of volunteers. They searched day and night around the school, nearby homes, sheds, backyards.
Terrane made it difficult because the school is located on the top of a hill, near open fields and the county’s largest urban natural areas within a metropolitan area, called Forest Park. In the past few years Desiree and countless volunteers have focused several searches within Forest Park.
UM: Where is the search effort today?
MJ: Desiree told me authorities have narrowed the search for Kyron to less than 100 acres. She couldn’t say what specific areas have been the focus but said that searches in recent months have led to a huge amount of progress.
UM: Matt, how did you get involved with the case?
MJ: I got involved in 2013, three years after Kyron disappeared. I was a reporter and morning news anchor for KATU-TV the ABC affiliate in Portland Oregon. From my first day on the job my colleagues were telling me about the case and Kyron. I covered several updates, anniversaries and interviewed Kyron’s mother Desiree Young multiple times. The case has always haunted me which is why I wanted to include it the first season of my podcast.
UM: When you spoke with Desiree Young last, what was her message to her son?
MJ: Kyron’s mother burst into tears when I asked that question. My heart sank in my chest as I listened to the pain of her pleading for help and telling Kyron how much she loved him. She said she missed him, she will never give up hope and will never stop searching for him. She told me every holiday, birthday, Mother’s Day is painful and heartbreaking.
UM: With the 10th anniversary of Kyron’s disappearance just a year away, what organized efforts, besides law enforcements, are still being done to keep Kyron’s case active?
MJ: Desiree has assembled an army of volunteers who post on the “Missing Kyron Horman” and “Kyron Horman’s World Soldiers” Facebook pages to help build awareness for the case. Those volunteers also make sure law enforcement gets and follows up with hundreds of tips they get each year.
Volunteers also help organize several boots-on-the-ground searches around Portland and have helped maintain the “Wall of Hope”. The wall is a spot of reflection and prayer for Kyron’s family, friends and the Portland community. It has many pictures of Kyron, cards, flowers and teddy bears. At first, it was located at Skyline Elementary school. It was then moved to a fence in Beaverton Oregon, near a gym where Terri Horman purportedly trained for body building competitions.
Desiree has also been working on a book for the past two years about the disappearance of her son. The new book, titled “Love You Forever – The Search for Kyron Horman” was written by best-selling true crime author Rebecca Morris. Its title was inspired by one of Kyron’s favorite bedtime stories. Young said that any money she receives from the book will go to a nonprofit to help find missing children. It is set to come out late 2019.
UM: What is the goal of the Find Kyron Team?
MJ: To bring about awareness to his case and cases of other missing kids. Everything from social media posts to passing out flyers and buttons. The team run by his mother wants the person/persons who are responsible for his disappearance to know she is not giving up.
If YOU know anything about what happened to Kyron Horman, please come forward. There is a $50,000 REWARD for any information that leads to bringing Kyron home.
Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Tip Line: (503) 261-2847 or 1 (800) THE – LOST
