OR KYRON HORMAN: Missing from Portland, OR - 4 June 2010 - Age 7

Kyron's photo is shown age-progressed to 14 years. He was last seen at school on June 4, 2010. Kyron was last seen wearing a black t-shirt with "CSI" in green letters and a handprint graphic. He was also wearing black cargo pants, white socks, and black Sketchers sneakers with orange trim. Kyron may wear glasses.
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Kyron was last seen in Portland, Oregon on June 4, 2010. He usually rode the bus to Skyline Elementary School, where he was a second-grader. The school is in the 11500 block of Skyline Boulevard in a rural area in northwest Portland, about two miles from Kyron's home in the 15700 block of Sheltered Nook Road.

His stepmother, Terri Lynn Moulton Horman, stated she drove him to school because there was a science fair that day and Kyron wanted to set up his exhibit, a display about the Red-Eyed Tree Frog. They arrived shortly after 8:00 a.m. and dropped Kyron's coat and backpack off at his classroom.

A witness saw Terri and Kyron together at 8:15 p.m., in front of Kyron's exhibit. The bell rang at 8:45 a.m. and Terri says she left then. She said Kyron told her he was going to his classroom. He has never been heard from again.

Terri reported Kyron missing at 3:45 p.m., after he failed to arrive home at 3:30 p.m. as scheduled. No one reported having seen Kyron at the school after the 8:45 bell. His teacher marked him absent after classes began at 10:00 a.m.; she thought he was at a doctor's appointment.

Because so many hours had passed since he was last seen, police launched an extensive search immediately. Over the next few days they interviewed all the students and staff at Skyline Elementary School and searched the school, school grounds and the surrounding area. It was one of the largest searches in Oregon history.

Kyron's loved ones described him as timid and stated he would be unlikely to leave the school and go off on his own.


Less than two weeks after Kyron's disappearance, police stopped the search and announced they had upgraded his case from a simple missing child to a criminal investigation.

At the same time, they stated they didn't think Kyron had been abducted by a stranger. They focused on Terri, stating cellular phone records indicated she wasn't where she said she was on the day of her stepson's disappearance.


Investigators questioned Terri's friend, DeDe Spicher, about her possible knowledge of Kyron's disappearance. They searched her home and asked the public if they had seen Terri, her white pickup truck or Spicher on June 4 between 9:45 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Spicher stated knew nothing about Kyron's disappearance and she believed Terri was innocent of any wrongdoing.


Authorities have yet to name a suspect in Kyron's disappearance, in spite of their focus on his stepmother. Kaine speculated Terri caused the child's disappearance in an effort to hurt him, and suggested she may have had help from other individual. Both of Kyron's parents continue to hope that he is alive. His case remains unsolved.

NCMEC -

Have you seen this child? KYRON HORMAN

Missing From: PORTLAND, OR. Missing Date: 06/04/2010. Kyron's photo is shown age-progressed to 14 years. He was last seen at school on June 4, 2010. Kyron was last seen wearing a black t-shirt with

api.missingkids.org

NamUs -

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Charley Project -

Kyron Richard Horman – The Charley Project

edited by staff to add media link

KYRON HORMAN has been missing from Portland, OR since 4 June 2010, in spite of hundreds of hours spent trying to locate him.

His stepmother, Terri Lynn Moulton Horman, stated she drove him to school because there was a science fair that day and Kyron wanted to set up his exhibit. They arrived shortly after 8:00 a.m. Terri reported Kyron missing at 3:45 p.m., after he...

www.crimewatchers.net

 

[Regina]

Terri did a load of Kyron's laundry the evening he disappeared, including his jacket and his backpack. (p33)

Was that another attempt to add to the confusion? Lol!
Seriously, since both were at the school all day, I don't understand the implication. I mean, I don't necessarily buy that it's true but even if it is, so what? Perhaps feeling helpless, there was the need to do something- anything- for him, know what I mean?

Infamous picture taken at 8:45 am.

How was that determined?

Teri left at 8:50 am. 9:12 she was on surveillance leaving a Fred Meyer in Hillsboro (approximately 11 minutes / 5.5 miles from school). 9:50 she was on surveillance leaving Fred Meyer in Beaverton (approximately 12-15 minutes / 4.7 miles east of other FM)
***Cameras showed Terri driving and daughter in child seat in back. Due to the angle, it was impossible to tell if anyone else was in the vehicle and if Kyron's booster seat was empty. (p57) She intentionally parked far away from the entrances. (p58)

She said she also dropped off dry cleaning to a place adjacent to that second Fred Meyer location and from there, to a crafts store.
As for "she intentionally parked far away from the entrances", I'd have to be able to form my own conclusion about that.

She bought Motrin and other unspecified grocery items. None of the items were ever found. (p58)

I take it that LE wouldn't specify... If so, I don't (yet) know or understand the purpose.

"At 10 a.m. Kyron was marked absent by his teacher, Miss Porter. The school office was told it was an excused absence. That's because Terri had sent the teacher an email days before saying she was taking him to a doctor's appointment.

I'd first have to read the email for myself.

Terri said she arrived at 24 Hour Fitness at 11:39 am. However the gym clocked her in at 12:20 pm. She left her daughter and the childcare center for a few minutes, and left at 12:42 pm. She did not work out. Arrived home at 1pm and posted on Facebook at 1:21 pm. No other errands could be confirmed between 9:50 am and 12:20 pm. She said she was "driving around". (p60)

I don't know where that info comes from but it's contrary to what Terri's publicly stated about how long she drove around and how long her daughter was in the gym daycare.

Kaine said he usually drove his truck and Terri drove the car. She said she wanted to use the truck that day to bring Kyron's science fair project home. But she obviously left the school without it. And the exhibits were scheduled to stay at the school into the next week. (p237)

She said she also used the truck the day before- to take the project to the school- and it seems to me that she'd have used the truck again that next day thinking she'd be bringing it back home.

Terri failed two polygraphs and walked out of a third. They were all administered by different LE agencies. (p317)

I think Terri said she'd walked out of the 2nd one but whichever, 3 poly's indicates to me that the person is doing what ever they can to cooperate with authorities.
Results of poly's don't impress me but repeated poly's of the same person indicates me that the investigation's in trouble.

DeDe Spicher, a friend of Terri's, was unaccounted for at work after leaving "abruptly" around 11:30 am. She returned 90 minutes later. (p239) In 2012, she was deposed and questioned. She refused to talk, citing her 5th amendment rights 142 times. (p370)

I don't know of any evidence that she was with Terri and so what ever she was doing that day doesn't matter to me.

 

[Kimster]

Here's a few of the pictures I took in the summer of 2010 with a friend of mine who is familiar with the area where Kyron went missing. The note I wrote was on the banner. The banner was moved from the school after I took the pictures. It was a quiet day when we were there, the wind was rustling all the notes from the people who had been by in the past. It was so serene and yet it felt sinister to me - which caused me to burst out crying.

The church in the pic is across the street from the school and it's where they held the vigil today.

I have a LOT more pictures so let me know if there's any other areas you want to see.

The fourth picture in this lot is of the driveway coming up from where it has been said she parked the white truck. As you're coming down the road, you easily slide right onto it. After slipping onto the dirt road, it comes right up to where this picture was taken, and was stopped by the gate you can see here, so the truck would most likely have had to back out and back onto the street.

As I mentioned before, I do have a picture of exactly where the truck was supposedly parked and I still haven't gotten that back out for everyone since the crash of 2020.

 

[GrandmaBear]

I too feel it is the stepmother. There is just too much wrong, that has to be explained away, that just isn't right. When there are too many of those, that's it for me. One doesn't phase me much, two starts raising a hair or two on the back of my neck so to speak and three moves me off center big time. More than three is off the scale. Far more than three here.

I knew of a lot of this but forgot some and/or some is new to me--things from the book, etc. I think. It just adds to my opinion. A lot.

I don't believe in trying to come up with a number of things to explain a number of things on her behalf (or anyone's in any case). if that has to be done, something is wrong already. There's a reason that she is the ONLY one who has a number of things to explain away.

I think three polys to me indicate they are following up with more questions in areas she failed. Why would it mean they were desperate, she FAILED them. Walking out of a third is not being cooperative and at this point they were probably getting down to the nitty gritty and she couldn't hack trying to navigate what she couldn't explain away.

Anytime Fitness you use your card to get in, it is clocked. Perhaps they also have cameras unlike the school. And she dind't work out. She lied about the time. She used the day care. All very odd.

And let's point out one thing about the laundry. Most people wash combined clothing, not just the clothing AND backpack of one child. BACKPACK. THAT night. Where did it come from by the way? AND jacket? They were at the school all day? Where is that said? Not saying it wasn't, just that I don't know that.

It's very odd she parked at least three times in more obscure places and just happened to do so on this day of all days.

Maybe the other grocery items were insignificant but maybe not... Odd that the ONE thing mentioned is Motrin. Maybe other OTC meds then...? HOW IS IT THEY never found any items purchased?
No one would write an email or not to work, their kid's school, etc. and I, he or so and so won't be there Friday or will miss some time on Friday, etc. without meaning THAT Friday. That's ridiculous to think otherwise. I tell my boss Monday I won't be there from this hour to that hour Friday, well duh of course they will think I mean the very next upcoming Friday.

She was with him. She is the only one in this entire case that has a whole lot of odd things that bring questions and a whole lot of 'splaining to do.

No one else took this child from school. The ONLY person seen leaving with him was HER, the very person who said he wouldn't be there for part of that day.

 

[Regina]

For just what it did, that no one would raise any alarm too quickly?

But it doesn't look to me like she was buying time, spending time, yeah.

 

[Regina]

I think it was later established that she DID park there.

I guess they re-interviewed the witnesses and considered them to be reliable? No cameras in this case makes it extremely frustrating.

I don't think it's an issue that can be established, believed, of course, but not established as a fact.
I don't know the groundskeeper's timeframe- just that it was that morning during the event- but he said he didn't see any truck parked on that road.

I think they just weren't ready to release that info at the time? Who knows. But no it was a different adult (grandparent of another student). I don't remember anything about a secretary seeing him.

Terri said it was the secretary and another student and that it was after she'd left.

I've gone back and forth a bit, and I'm still not 100% convinced, but I'm definitely on the side of the fence that Terri did it. There's just too much, IMO. But even now a few thoughts or questions could pull me back to the other side, or at least on the fence.

I think what makes the case difficult for me is that since the focus has always been on just one person, any info about the case is only relevant to the one person.

 

[Mel70]

Well I'm not surprised that the school didn't have cameras at the time; I do recall finding it stunning that -was it 2009?- that a convience store didn't have cameras. (Jessica Heeringa case.) But no, in this case at that time, I don't find the no-camera circumstance at all surprising.
Anyway, it's the no-notification-of-absence circumstance for which I'd expect to find an explanation.

Yes. Jessica Heeringa. I think 2013?. Or 2010?. But either date. No cameras at a gas station?.

 

[Kimster]

Here’s a picture that I found online of that road with a mock truck parked and this is where they say somebody saw her truck.

ETA: This is on the west front side of the school, but it’s down from the school. You can’t see it from the school building itself. And it winds around to the fields.

 

[Kimster]

Now here’s a picture that I took while at the school along the fence line. You can see the picture of the school sign on the other picture that I posted to give you some kind of an idea of where I am at when I took this picture. The pictures really don’t show you how steep slope is there.

 

[Kimster]

Here’s another picture of the road that is more north eastern of the picture that I took on page 2 of this thread. As you can see, you cannot see the road at all from up where the play fields are, which is where the yard keeper was. He couldn’t have seen that truck if it was parked there. You just can’t see down that way. And he was mowing the park fields.

 

[Kimster]

I’ve been to the school twice. Once three months after Kyron went missing, and then a couple of years later, when I went on a search for Kyron. I went up there after we were done searching.

I don’t say much about the search because we were asked to keep it confidential, but I will say that I don’t think that anything was found there of any significance. If there was, I don’t know about it.

 

[Kimster]

Here’s another picture of the road looking east. That is the north side of the school. I took this picture because it kind of gives you an idea of the slope. When you enter the road from the main road, it’s dirt and then it’s paved once you get up to the field area.

 

[Kimster]

I have more pictures. I have pictures of where the guy said he saw a white truck go down this really sketchy road. And yes, it’s a sketchy road! I certainly wouldn’t drive my car down there. And then I have pictures of where DeDe worked that day, and a couple of other areas where there were some searches. These are all from my first trip.

The pictures from my second trip are the ones that were on my phone and they’re on a little phone back up thingy. I don’t even know what you call it! I’ll have to dig that up someday.

 

[Regina]

Yes. Jessica Heeringa. I think 2013?. Or 2010?. But either date. No cameras at a gas station?.

Yeah, no! Well, the whole scenario infuriated me. There we had a young woman working alone at night and considering the time of day was a relatively remote, rather isolated though off-a-main-road-gas station that had no cameras!
It was then that I decided that I think all places of business should be required to have surveillance cameras.

 

[Regina]

Here’s a picture that I found online of that road with a mock truck parked and this is where they say somebody saw her truck.

ETA: This is on the west front side of the school, but it’s down from the school. You can’t see it from the school building itself. And it winds around to the fields.
View attachment 19656

Well, not only is that conspicuous but it's blocking a/the road and based on those two observations alone, I'm not believing she parked there.
But again, (in the first place) I question how any somebody knows that that's her truck as opposed to some other truck that just looked like hers.

Here’s another picture of the road that is more north eastern of the picture that I took on page 2 of this thread. As you can see, you cannot see the road at all from up where the play fields are, which is where the yard keeper was. He couldn’t have seen that truck if it was parked there. You just can’t see down that way. And he was mowing the park fields.

As I said, I don't know the groundkeeper's timeframe, that is, I don't know when he came and went but when he did, he said there was no truck parked that road.

 

[Kimster]

Well, not only is that conspicuous but it's blocking a/the road and based on those two observations alone, I'm not believing she parked there.
But again, (in the first place) I question how any somebody knows that that's her truck as opposed to some other truck that just looked like hers.


As I said, I don't know the groundkeeper's timeframe, that is, I don't know when he came and went but when he did, he said there was no truck parked that road.

I’m not judging evidence, I’m just giving information.

I don’t think parking there is hiding a truck or anything. Especially because you have to back out to get back on the main road. I’m just saying you couldn’t see her truck from most of the school grounds, if it was parked there that day. Or any other vehicle that was parked there. I also have a picture of the Fred Meyer where she went and while I was there, there were two white trucks parked in the parking lot. White trucks seem to be popular in Oregon.

 

[Guess Who]

I've never known of a school to have cameras and to my knowledge they don't today either. I'd be interested to hear from others if their schools do.

In fact it is the very places you'd think of course would have them that don't seem to.

Odd that not a soul or camera saw him after the school. Of course this was years ago but still this is a CITY, there had to be some cameras... Does this mean he something was done to him at school, outside the school, he was put in a car, hidden in the school or what... Not an individual who saw him in or out of the school with anyone either or leaving on his own? Kind of rhetorical, I'm pretty sure none of these things exist, at least not that we've been told...

Ours do BUT it has been pretty recently. Within the last 3(ish?) years?

 

[Guess Who]

Almost all schools these days have cameras. All of our schools here have them. They're not in classrooms, but they're at entrances, hallways, and parking lots. I'd be shocked if a city the size of Portland wasn't the same.

I was curious, so I found these:

Top school security cameras and what they can do for you in 2025

Table of Contents Table of Contents Security cameras for schools are more than just for monitoring, they're for creating a safe learning

solink.com

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, almost 80% of elementary schools have security cameras as part of their security system. This number rises to about 94% for high schools.


This shows that though over 90% had cameras in 2020, that number was only about 60% in 2010.

Fast Facts: School safety and security measures (334)

The NCES Fast Facts Tool provides quick answers to many education questions (National Center for Education Statistics). Get answers on Early Childhood Education, Elementary and Secondary Education and Higher Education here.

nces.ed.gov

At the time he went missing, the technology was just starting to be cheap enough to be implemented in places like inside schools. At that time, if they had any, it was more for asset protection as in showing any theft and breakage of windows and doors. Exterior only mostly.

 

[Guess Who]

No, there were no cameras at the time. They added them the summer after he disappeared.

Video system at Kyron Horman's Skyline School will set benchmark for other Portland schools

Portland Public Schools is now writing video surveillance standards, which should be completed by mid-October, to ensure that any system installed in a PPS building provides adequate protection and can be maintained by facilities staff.

www.oregonlive.com

Before Kyron disappeared June 4, the brick school in rural Portland had no surveillance system -- like other schools in the district. Now it has cameras panning the exterior and one camera inside in the main hall, Shelby said.

yes. adding cameras is usually reactive rather than pro active.

The ones in our district to cover more inside the buildings, instead of just outside, were added after one of the mass school shootings at parent's and teacher's insistence.

 

[Guess Who]

Well I'm not surprised that the school didn't have cameras at the time; I do recall finding it stunning that -was it 2009?- that a convience store didn't have cameras. (Jessica Heeringa case.) But no, in this case at that time, I don't find the no-camera circumstance at all surprising.
Anyway, it's the no-notification-of-absence circumstance for which I'd expect to find an explanation.

I wonder if this was typical of that school or if absence reporting was just lax on that particular day because of the science fair.

My kid's school even called you when you had called in to report them being absent, which was great when they got older (having somebody call in pretending to be the parent), but notsomuch when they were young and I had been up with a sick kid all night and then the phone was ringing, impeccably as soon as we had just gotten to sleep.

 

[Guess Who]

It's been a thing here since sometime during the 90's, and the notification was made by 10 AM, since by that time, it's considered absent rather than late.

My kids' schools all called nearly as soon as it could have been. Right after attendance had been taken and reported to the office. Usually within 20 minutes after the start of school in elementary or about 20 minutes after the 1st missed class when they hit middle and hs.