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Boy vanished from school science fair 12 years ago. Oregon cops are trying new approach

Kryon Horman was last “seen the morning of June 4, 2010, at Skyline Elementary School in Portland,” Multnomah County deputies said.
Kryon Horman was last “seen the morning of June 4, 2010, at Skyline Elementary School in Portland,” Multnomah County deputies said. Photo from Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office

Kyron Horman attended his Oregon elementary school’s science fair 14 years ago.

That June day in 2010 would be the last time anyone saw the 7-year-old Portland boy, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said in a June 4 news release

Despite the passage of time, Kyron’s mother, Desiree Davidson Young, is still desperately searching for him.

I have no words that can really truly express how I feel today,” Davidson Young wrote in a Facebook post on the June 4 anniversary of Kyron’s disappearance. “I miss my son everyday, I cry over the loss everyday.”

And now, officials are trying a new approach to get answers in the case: a web page, created as a place for the public to find information about the case, as well as provide any tips they may have.

“Our hearts go out to Kyron’s family and the dedicated community that has coalesced around his disappearance,” District Attorney Mike Schmidt said in the release. “We have not given up.”

‘Open and active’ investigation

This isn’t the first time the sheriff’s office has renewed a call in hopes of moving the case forward.

Two years ago, the sheriff’s office released an age-processed photo of Kyron, which depicted him at 19 years-old McClatchy News reported.

An age-processed photo of Kyron, depicting him at 19 years old.
An age-processed photo of Kyron, depicting him at 19 years old. Photo from Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office

The following year, deputies said “the case remains open and active.”

“Investigators are using advances in software, digital forensics, and geospatial technology to support and advance their work,” the sheriff’s office said in a June 2023 Facebook post.

At the time of his disappearance on June 4, 2010, deputies said Kyron was wearing a black shirt with “CSI” written in green letters and a handprint graphic, along with black cargo pants, white socks and black Skechers with orange trim. He also may have been wearing glasses.

Kyron has brown hair and blue eyes and also has a “distinct V-shaped strawberry birthmark on his forehead,” according to officials.

‘He’s a part of me’

Though more than a decade has passed, Davidson Young’s longing to find her son has not subsided.

“14 years later I still feel like there is a hole in my heart,” she wrote on Facebook.

Kyron’s mother continues to search for him even a decade after he vanished.
Kyron’s mother continues to search for him even a decade after he vanished. Screengrab from Desiree Davidson Young's Facebook page

Every year, Davidson Young holds a car wash to raise money to aid in his search, KGW News reported.

“I can’t even explain it. He’s a part of me,” she told the outlet at this year’s fundraiser Saturday, June 1. “There’s just something in there that yearns to touch him and hold him.”

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This story was originally published June 5, 2024 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Boy vanished from school science fair 12 years ago. Oregon cops are trying new approach."

Daniella Segura
McClatchy DC
Daniella Segura is a national real-time reporter with McClatchy. Previously, she’s worked as a multimedia journalist for weekly and daily newspapers in the Los Angeles area. Her work has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association. She is also an alumnus of the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley.
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