A California mother is pleading with state officials to continue searching for her five-year-old son, who was swept up in last month’s floodwaters, as she fears they have given up on finding him.
Brian and his husband, Lindsy Doan, have been combing the banks of the River Salina, trying to employ their own shovels, in an attempt to use dogs’ scent as pets for their son Kyle’s hunting.
Governor Gavin Newsome declared, “We will persist until we locate Kyle,” as the California National Guard mobilized a multitude of assets – such as helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, underwater search teams, advanced sound navigation and ranging devices, and canine units specializing in locating deceased individuals – in their quest to locate him following his initial displacement amidst January’s severe flooding and storms.
The family has left themselves and pulled back from the search, fearing that the state’s resources were empty as promised by Doans.
The family has used resources from a GoFundMe page to pay for excavators, fuel, and lunches for the volunteers who joined them, without fear of their help state’s return, but in vain they will search for the last three weekends.
Still be alive in some way.
On January 9, as she drove the boy to school, she encountered a flooded two-lane country road that seemed passable.
While she was rescuing Kyle and pulling him to safety, he was carried away and they became separated, but Lindsy managed to escape from the car and grab onto a nearby tree. As soon as she entered the water, the car began to fill with water and drifted into the San Marcos Creek.
She herself was lost before bystanders, who saw her struggling in the water, pulled her to safety. Afterward, she attempted to swim to him.
Throughout her investigations, she has been anticipating a glimpse of the other – Nike, adorned with a yellow emblem – ever since that moment, the only trace of Kyle that has been discovered is one of his footwear.
The quest for Kyle was backed by President Joe Biden, and even Governor Newsom expressed, ‘Hopefully, by some stroke of luck, he’ll be alright’ once he initially went missing.
Nevertheless, the Doans conveyed their disappointment that those promises have been unmet in recent weeks, and that authorities have begun to postpone their efforts.
Brian informed Mercury News that there is a growing sense that Kyle’s case has been put aside and treated as unresolved. They are no longer being transparent and do not appear eager to promptly respond to our phone calls or text messages.
If it were your child, you would give up. But ask again when you’re not tired. I understand. Lindsy recently wrote a pleading letter for help in Newsome. You’re tired. It’s also too cold for the dogs to come. The water needs to recede more. We’re waiting for the weather to get warmer. It’s been excuses.
Meanwhile, the Doans have committed themselves to locating Kyle independently.
Kyle could potentially surface from under a delicate coating of sediment, with the expectation that they have been scouring the riverbeds alongside their 18-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter.
Lindsy informed Mercury News, ‘We’re essentially removing the sand and dirt.’ Since it is evident that I do not wish to harm him or cause any harm to his body, we attempted to perform this task with minimal depth, in case we encounter any obstacles.
In order to assist in their search, they have acquired a chainsaw for the purpose of cutting through debris, as well as wading boots and kayaks. Additionally, they have made diligent efforts to coordinate the numerous volunteers who have arrived.
The continuous precipitation has also made the search more difficult, impeding the involvement of volunteers and resulting in further flooding in rivers, making them unsuitable for search operations.
As per Mercury News, the usual process of obtaining permits to use excavators on riverbanks was waived, and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services stated last week that it fully supported the search effort.
Now, ‘could possibly be in the Monterey Bay at this point.’ The search might be futile as Kyle Despite those reassurances from authorities, Lindsy mentioned feeling particularly discouraged by their attempts when a representative from San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s office informed her.