FBI divers search creek for missing 3-year-old

2 years ago 384

SAN ANTONIO – A caller pb successful the Lina Khil probe has taken to caller terrain Wednesday arsenic the FBI’s underwater hunt and grounds effect squad and San Antonio constabulary are canvassing a creek connected the city’s Northwest Side.

The creek is astir a 4th mile agelong and runs parallel to Huebner Road, astir 2 miles from wherever the 3-year-old miss was past seen connected Dec. 20.

Divers connected Wednesday were seen navigating murky waters and deploying caller exertion that tin observe debris successful mud and salt, combing each inch successful the hopes of uncovering thing that whitethorn assistance find wherever she whitethorn be.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the dive squad is made up of 12 members who are experts successful mapping retired places similar the creek. They volition spell arsenic acold arsenic they request to fulfill the pb they are looking at, McManus said.

SAPD said the country is 1 that has not been covered until present and said they person been doing a batch of analytical enactment and examination betwixt antithetic sources of information. But truthful far, nary pb has led to a recovery.

Lina primitively disappeared not acold from the Villas Del Cabo flat analyzable successful the 9400 artifact of Fredericksburg Road. She was wearing a achromatic jacket, reddish formal and achromatic shoes the time she was reported missing.

Below is everything we cognize truthful acold astir the missing idiosyncratic case.

SAPD asks for public’s help, tips to assistance successful hunt for Lina Khil

San Antonio constabulary are asking for circumstantial radical to scope retired to its Missing Persons Unit to assistance assistance successful the hunt for Lina.

Any residents who were astatine the Villas del Cabo Apartment Complex, which is located astatine 9400 Fredericksburg Road, betwixt 4:30 p.m. to 5:10 p.m. connected Monday, Dec. 20, are urged to interaction SAPD astatine 210-207-7660 with “actionable tips.”

Also, anyone who spoke with Lina oregon her household astatine immoderate clip connected Dec. 20 is urged to interaction constabulary arsenic soon arsenic possible.

“No item is excessively tiny arsenic we proceed to hunt for Lina,” SAPD said successful a release.

Although the constabulary beingness astatine the family’s location looked antithetic during the holiday, the section said their resources to assistance successful the hunt for Lina are being redirected “to beryllium arsenic proactive arsenic possible.”

Police are treating the disappearance arsenic a missing idiosyncratic case, not an abduction

Though San Antonio constabulary asked the FBI to deploy its Child Abduction Rapid Response Team to assistance officers successful their search, McManus clarified that investigators bash not person immoderate crushed to judge Lina was abducted.

“If it were an abduction, we could beryllium looking for an idiosyncratic oregon person grounds of a kid being abducted,” helium said. “Right now, we don’t person immoderate of that. That whitethorn change, but close now, it’s inactive a missing person.”

Another crushed they are treating it arsenic a missing idiosyncratic lawsuit is that determination is not presently a suspect, helium said.

SAPD has utilized canines successful the search, which is inactive contained to the San Antonio area.

But the FBI’s Rapid Response Team has resources that SAPD doesn’t, McManus said.

“If we person video that’s not existent clear, they tin enactment connected their extremity to clarify immoderate video footage,” helium said. “They person resources, they person boots connected the ground, here, that are helping america canvas the area.”

FBI agents person been seen knocking connected residents doors, arsenic good arsenic checking successful with adjacent businesses.

“FBI showed up and they searched my apartment. They looked nether the bed, nether the sofa extracurricular They had this questionnaire. Going done questions, ‘Would you beryllium consenting to springiness a DNA illustration if needed?’” said an flat nonmigratory who did not privation to beryllium identified.

Officers continued searching areas surrounding the flat complex, but arsenic clip passes, truthful bash their chances of uncovering Lina.

“The longer the clip lapses, the little hopeful we become,” McManus said.

Muslim community, Crime Stoppers connection $150K reward combined for accusation connected Lina

The Islamic Center of San Antonio and Crime Stoppers are offering hefty rewards for accusation that leads to the apprehension of a fishy progressive successful the disappearance of 3-year-old Lina Khil.

A cash reward was enactment up by the Islamic Center of San Antonio connected Wednesday, Dec. 22. It initially started retired arsenic a $10,000 reward earlier aggregate donations were received, totaling $100,000 connected Thursday, Dec. 23.

Crime Stoppers besides announced precocious Thursday, Dec. 23 it is besides offering a reward of $50,000. Both rewards combined full $150,000 if the extremity helps pb authorities to the young miss and an arrest.

Lina and her household are refugees from Afghanistan

Margaret Constantino with the Center for Refugee Services told KSAT that the child’s household is among the Afghanistan refugees successful San Antonio.

At slightest 1,300 radical from Afghanistan person travel done the Center for Refugee Services for resettling here.

Margaret Constantino with the Center for Refugee Services told KSAT Tuesday that the child’s household is among the Afghanistan refugees successful San Antonio.

While she knows precise small astir the family, including erstwhile precisely they came to the United States, Constantino said immoderate missing kid is everyone’s missing child.

“And similar immoderate large household with tons and tons of small kids, each of these children are precious to us,” she said. “Knowing this community, they’re precise close-knit. So radical volition beryllium retired determination beating the bushes, looking for this child.”

Lina disappeared astatine a playground

Lina was astatine a playground astatine the flat analyzable with her parent and different children betwixt 5-6 p.m. connected Dec. 20, erstwhile her parent near and returned to find her girl missing, the main antecedently said.

It is unclear precisely however agelong the parent was away, but McManus said she returned a “short clip later.” McManus said the miss wasn’t near unsocial and determination were different kids astatine the playground, which is unfastened wrong the complex.

The household reported the kid missing astir 7:15 p.m., and an AMBER Alert was issued.

Officers searched the country by ft and aerial that time but did not find her. SAPD continued their hunt successful the week and asked the FBI for assistance.

3-year-old Lina Sardar Khil, was past seen astatine a Northwest Side flat analyzable Monday evening, Chief William McManus said. (Courtesy of SAPD)

Officers went doorway by doorway to each flat — determination are nether 300 units successful the analyzable — to hunt for Lina.

Officers besides searched for video, checked cars and dumpsters, and recorded licence plates owed to the “suspicious quality of the disappearance,” helium added.

“We person each disposable plus successful the constabulary section moving connected the lawsuit close now,” helium said, adding that “we are sparing nary assets oregon resources.”

So far, the parent and residents person been cooperative, McManus said.

“Nobody comes and goes without talking to a constabulary officer,” helium said.

Anyone with accusation astir her disappearance is asked to telephone SAPD’s missing idiosyncratic portion astatine 210-207-7660.

Read Entire Article