In 2010, This Second-Grader Arrived At His School To Show His Stepmom The Project He Made For A Science Fair, But He Never Made It To Class That Day And When He Didn’t Come Home On The Bus, His Family Realized He Was Missing
In 2010, Kyron Horman attended Skyline Elementary School in Portland, Oregon. The 7-year-old second-grader enjoyed oversized graphic tees and wore his metal-framed glasses everywhere he went due to poor vision.
But that could not stop Kyron from learning and enjoying everything about life. He frequented zoos and aquariums and loved both beaches and forests.
In school, Kyron also excelled– learning sign language and earning placement in an advanced math class.
On June 4, 2010, though, everything tragically changed.
That morning didn’t start off like any other school day for Kyron. Instead, the 7-year-old was set to present his red tree frog science project at school, and he was particularly eager to show off his project to his stepmom, Terri.
But Terri would only be able to see the project if she and Kyron arrived at the elementary school hours before classes began. She would also need to borrow Kyron’s dad’s truck in order to bring the trifold project home.
In spite of these challenges, though, Terri and Kyron still went for it.
The 7-year-old’s science fair was not going to start until 1:00 p.m. However, he and his stepmom still arrived at Skyline Elementary at 8:00 a.m., as they had planned.
They brought along Kyron’s dad’s truck, too, and were seen in front of Kyron’s science project at about 8:15 a.m., according to PTA President Gina Zimmerman.
Facebook – pictured above is Kyron
Then, at 8:45 a.m., Terri watched as her stepson walked to his school classroom. Afterward, she left the elementary school but without Kryon’s project.
Another Skyline Elementary School student later reported spotting the 7-year-old by the south entrance of the school at 9:00 a.m. And tragically, that was the final time anyone saw Kyron alive.
The school day commenced at 10:00 a.m., but Kyron was not in attendance. His homeroom teacher subsequently marked him “absent.”
At the same time, Terri was out using Kyron’s dad’s truck to run errands, even though her initial purpose for borrowing the car was to pick up Kyron’s project– which she never took home.
Nonetheless, between 10:10 a.m. and 11:39 a.m., Terri went shopping at two grocery stores. Her daughter also had an ear infection, so Terri drove the little girl around while they waited for the ear infection medication to kick in.
Then, at 11:39 a.m., Terri visited a 24-hour gym and worked out until about 12:40 p.m. And by 1:21 p.m., she had posted a photo on Facebook of Kyron standing with his science fair project– which she had captured earlier that morning.
So, it was not until 3:30 p.m., when Terri and Kryon’s father, Kaine, met the school bus, that they realized Kyron had not been at school all day. Afterward, the school’s secretary immediately contacted authorities to report the 7-year-old missing.
Police officers arrived about 45 minutes later, and at 5:30 p.m., a mass text was sent to parents reading, “Kyron Horman did not arrive at home today.”
By 7:45 p.m., the FBI had been personally informed about Kyron’s disappearance by the Multnomah County Sheriff. And from 8:09 p.m. to 10:45 p.m. that evening, teams conducted a comprehensive search of the elementary school.
The day after Kyron disappeared, June 5, 2010, the search efforts continued. All of the staff, parents, and children who were present at the elementary school the prior day were also instructed to attend a police briefing on Sunday.
By that point, the national guard and FBI had joined the search effort– bringing in a profiler and passing out the 7-year-old’s missing person flyer.
On June 6, Kyron’s case was designated as an “endangered child case.” So, from June 4 to June 13, the search area eventually expanded to include outer regions– such as Sauvie Island, which was located six miles away.
But, on June 13, Kyron’s case turned from a missing person search into a criminal investigation. And over the next two weeks, more search efforts were deployed, billboards were put up, and more flyers were passed out.
There was not an update on the little boy’s disappearance until June 18, 2018, after Terri underwent a second polygraph examination. Then, from June 26 to July 1, the 7-year-old’s family encountered more turmoil.
During this period, two different 911 calls were placed from the Horman home. The first call was to report a threat, and the second call was about a custody issue. At that point, Kaine took his daughter and moved out of the house.
A couple of days later, though, Terri denied the fact that Kaine had moved out with his daughter. At the same time, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office released a statement confirming that the Horman family was cooperating with the investigation. Although, Terri’s name was not included in the document.
This pushed new outlets to speculate about a possible divorce. Then, the very next day, a judge sealed an order of protection against Terri on June 29. Two days later, Kaine also filed for divorce and was awarded full custody of his daughter.
Due to this, Terri was only able to communicate with Kaine’s daughter through letters. She was also banned from the elementary school.
Afterward, Terri moved out of Kaine’s home, and authorities began to put pressure on her friends– eventually searching the home of a friend whose whereabouts were unaccounted for on the day of Kyron’s disappearance.
And in August 2010, witnesses began to testify in Multnomah County Circuit Court– including Skyline Elementary administration and staff, family, and friends.
An anonymous witness who was at the same 24-hour gym as Terri on the day of Kyron’s disappearance also testified; meanwhile, searches for Kyron continued.
Yet, between August 2010 and 2016, three themes kept unfolding. First, authorities continued searching for Kyron. But, after exploring new regions and revisiting old ones, investigators eventually exhausted all avenues.
Second, legal battles between Terri and Kyron’s mother and stepfather ensued. During this time, facets of Terri’s character were questioned.
Finally, the investigation also changed direction after various search efforts continued to be unsuccessful. Eventually, the task force that was created for Kyron was disbanded, and the search area was narrowed. At the same time, investigators took a closer look at individuals at home.
Kyron’s case and the subsequent investigation remain the most extensive search effort in the state of Oregon’s history– with over 1,300 residents aiding the investigation.
Unfortunately, though, no one was ever arrested or charged in Kyron’s disappearance. In fact, an official suspect was never even named by authorities.
So, the search for answers has continued– with Kyron’s loved ones turning to social media to keep his story alive.
On Facebook, a page entitled “Missing Kyron Horman” was created and has since amassed over 166,000 followers and 182,000 likes. There, Kyron’s case details are continuously shared in hopes that new information will come to light.
“It has been almost 13 years now, and you deserve to be home. We will never give up,” one post reads.
At the time of his disappearance, Kyron was three foot eight, weighed 50 pounds, and had brown hair. He would be 20 years old today.
There is currently a $50,000 reward being offered for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for Kyron’s disappearance. If you have any information regarding Kyron’s case, you are urged to contact the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office at (503) 823-3333.
If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
More About:True Crime