Reward for boy doubles

PORTLAND – The mother of an Oregon boy missing for 53 days tearfully addressed her son during a Tuesday news conference, telling him not to give up hope, while investigators doubled a reward for information in the case.

The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department said “significant progress” was being made in the search for 7-year-old Kyron Horman but declined to offer details. The reward for information leading to Kyron’s whereabouts was increased from $25,000 to $50,000.

Kyron vanished June 4 after attending a science fair at Skyline Elementary School in northwest Portland. The case has taken many twists since, many of them centered on his stepmother, Terri Horman.

Terri Horman has not been named as a suspect in Kyron’s disappearance.

Terri Horman’s attorney, Stephen Houze, has repeatedly declined to comment. However, he said in court earlier this month that Terri Horman is being subjected to a “witch hunt.”