Kyron Horman's Disappearance Now a Criminal Case

By: Edecio Martinez
Topics: Missing

Kyron Horman, (Personal Photo)

NEW YORK (CBS/KOIN/AP) Ten days after 7-year-old Kyron Horman disappeared, Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton fought back tears while announcing the search has shifted to a criminal investigation.

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Investigators in Portland are now offering a $25,000 reward for information that leads them to the second grader.

Until now, Kyron has been considered a "missing endangered child," a designation that spans a range of possibilities, including that a minor is in danger after getting lost.

Staton announced the reclassification at a crowded news conference Sunday. but he offered no explanation for the change.

Kyron's family has been largely silent since the news broke of the boy's disappearance, addressing the press just once in a release last Friday.

According to CBS affiliate KOIN, authorities are trying to stem the tide of online rumors surrounding the case, and his family's possible involvement. Police say Kyron's parents are doing all they can to help.

School officials and law enforcement are trying to keep a clamp on information they say could compromise the investigation.

What is known is that Kyron's stepmother, Terri Moulton Horman, saw him in the hallway of rural Skyline Elementary School on the morning of June 4. It was minutes after Kyron had presented his second-grade science fair project, a diorama on red-eyed tree frogs.

When Kyron's school bus arrived at his home that afternoon, he wasn't on it. His stepmother called the school, and the school called 911.

Investigators have refused to release a more detailed timeline of the day Kyron went missing - or say whether they've found any clues, or have any suspects or theories about what happened.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Kyron Horman is asked to call the Multnomah County Sheriff's tip line at 503-261-2847.

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