SAN ANTONIO - The family of Lina Sardar Khil and the community will gather on Friday to remember the little girl who disappeared three years ago.This month, we
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Family's frustration with authorities grows as search for Lina Khil enters 3rd year
The family of Lina Sardar Khil and the community will gather on Friday to remember the little girl who disappeared three years ago.
This month, we are reflecting on some of San Antonio's missing persons cases we have investigated after the headlines faded away.
Tonight, we take a closer look at the ups and downs in this year's search for the Afghan child.
How does a 3-year-old child vanish into thin air?
The last known video of Lina Sardar Khil was on Dec. 20, 2021 while playing in the playground of an apartment complex off Fredericksburg Road near the Medical Center. She was last known to be wearing a red dress and a black jacket.
Then, she just vanished.
When Lina first disappeared, the search was intense. But as months passed and media attention faded, her family’s frustration grew.
Lina and her family are refugees from Afghanistan. Her father worked with the U.S. Army, and they came to the U.S. on a special visa.
But now, Riaz says none of that matters because his child is still missing.
"I remember when the investigator first came on it, and he told the family, ‘We’re gonna find her in under two weeks.’ And here we are, three years later," said Pamela Allen an advocate for the family. Allen says that not knowing gets harder every day.
We asked Allen how often they hear from the San Antonio Police Department, FBI or other authorities on this case.
"They don’t. Communication is very limited," she said. "They only hear something when the family reaches out to ask, ‘Have you heard anything?’ And typically, it’s when the family sees news about sex or drug trafficking roundups. Their biggest question to me is, ‘Do they know anything about Lina?’"
Abel Pena, the organization's director and a retired FBI agent, was asked what he thought investigators are doing right now.
"This is a tough case. There’s a lot of frustration trying to piece things together and learn what happened," he said. "I know the FBI is doing everything they can as a resource for SAPD. Both agencies are actively involved. They’ve done things like polygraphs and uncovered information, but it’s been three years."
We also asked whether investigators reviewed sketches made by Lois Gibson, a renowned sketch artist with the Houston Police Department.
Gibson’s sketches were based on a witness who says they saw two men with Lina the afternoon she disappeared.
"This person said, ‘I knew it was her because she was beautiful and dressed all in red.’ Lina was wearing red with a black coat the day she disappeared. The witness provided details to the sketch artist about the men."
We provided those sketches last year to the police. One man was described as an African, the other as Afghan. Lina’s father recognized the Afghan man but didn’t believe he was involved.
Riaz and Sarmina continue to pray that Lina is safe.
The family believes she may have been taken and sold, and they pray that one day she will remember and find her way home. They have lost faith in the San Antonio Police Department.
We requested an update on the case from police investigators but has not yet received a response.
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