Multnomah County sheriff hopeful of case’s progress

PORTLAND – Investigators believe that more than one person was involved in the disappearance of Kyron Horman, the Oregonian newspaper reported Saturday.

Sheriff Dan Staton was worried about the progress and cost of the investigation this fall, and he feared the biggest criminal investigation in Multnomah County’s history was destined for the cold case files, according to a story on the Oregonian’s website.

Six months have passed since the boy disappeared, but Staton told the newspaper that he’s now convinced the Kyron Horman Task Force is making progress sorting through “a ton of information.”

The sheriff is pushing for something to shake loose by Feb. 1, the end of a 120-day deadline he set for the task force and the day he reports back to county commissioners about the status of an investigation that has cost nearly $1.4 million as of Nov. 29.

“The scope is narrowing. My belief is we should be relatively close to something by then; that’s why I set the time frame I did,” Staton said. “While we may not be at an arrest or an indictment phase, we’re going to have it narrowed down to a point where we may be calling out a suspect, identifying certain people or things.”

Kyron disappeared June 4 from his school in northwest Portland. Investigators have focused on his stepmother, Terri Moulton Horman, but haven’t called her a suspect.

With “not one shred of evidence to indicate the child has died,” Staton said investigators must push forward as though the boy is still alive.

A grand jury heard from at least 40 witnesses and continues to meet intermittently. “Barring an unexpected evidentiary development,” said Norm Frink, Multnomah County chief deputy district attorney, “the investigation is going to continue for months.”

Kyron’s stepmother drove him to his school and told authorities that she last saw him walking down the hall toward his classroom about 8:45 a.m.

Investigators interviewed about 300 students, their parents, and all faculty and staff, and determined that Kyron was not seen at the school after 8:45 a.m. The school didn’t report his absence, and authorities weren’t notified until he didn’t show up on the afternoon school bus.

“That six-hour window – a lot was lost,” Staton said. “That’s still frustrating to me because I think that’s one of the things that really hurt. That six hours … I wish we could regain those six hours.”