Arrest Imminent in Kyron Horman Search?

(CBS)  After getting thousands of tips, the investigation into missing 7-year-old Kyron Hormon appears to have gone full circle, and now an arrest could be right around the corner.

CBS News correspondent Priya David Clemens reported Monday from Portland, Ore., that police have fielded more than 3,300 tips from around the world. However, on Saturday, they came back to Kyron's grade school -- the last place he was seen. Clemens reported many believe the last person who saw him, his stepmother Terri Horman, could hold the key to bringing him home.

Investigators returned to Skyline Elementary School over the weekend, searching for clues that might lead them to Kyron Horman.

Officials say they've made significant progress in the criminal investigation, but are not releasing any details. In a written response to journalists' questions, they say Kyron's stepmother "has been cooperative...and other times she has not." Since hiring a defense attorney on June 28, she's been silent.

C.W. Jensen, a retired police captain, told CBS News, "If the investigative team found out what happened to Kyron, Terri Horman would be arrested imminently."

Kyron's parents have begged Terri to talk, Clemens reported. They are also pleading with her close friend, DeDe Spicher, to cooperate. They claim Spicher is giving Terri advice that is not in the best interest of their son. Last week, the FBI searched her home.

New questions are still emerging about Terri Horman's actions the day her stepson disappeared. Several hours remain unexplained. Terri Horman claimed she left Kyron at school at 8:45 a.m. and at 11:39 a.m. she went to the gym. In that three-hour gap, she said she went shopping and drove her 19-month-old daughter around to soothe an earache. But that has not been corroborated by anyone.

Jensen told CBS News, "All these things add up to a human being that doesn't make sense."

Terri Horman posted Kyron's picture on her Facebook page that afternoon. Later, both Terri and Kyron's father Kaine went to meet the school bus. Kyron was reported missing seven hours after he vanished. In a recent interview, Kyron's biological parents said Terri's behavior that day raised their suspicions.

Desiree Young, Kyron's mother, told Clemens, "I can tell you what I ate that day, she can't tell you where she was.

On "The Early Show" Monday, Bruce McCain, former captain of the Multnomah County Sheriff's office, who just retired last year, appeared on the broadcast to offer his insights into the handling of the case.

"Early Show" co-anchor Erica Hill asked McCain about new reports that Terri Horman told her stepson's teachers that he had a doctor's appointment later that day.

Terri Horman reportedly said she alerted them to the appointment that would happen that following Friday.

McCain said this report is "quite significant" because the day Kyron disappeared was the last day of school.

He explained, "A doctor's appointment the following Friday would have been pretty irrelevant to the school but the critical thing about this June 4th doctor's appointment is that that put the school in a position of not being concerned at all, that Kyron was not in his class, wasn't at lunch or the bus that afternoon. So, it looks like at least at this point Terri was able to bring Kyron to school, establish his presence there, and then perhaps take him away, at least that's the theory they're working on, without the school picking up the phone and call Kaine (Kyron's father) at work, for example."

Terri Horman is currently not a suspect in the case.

But McCain said there seems to be some sort of premeditated plan at work here.

"Especially with the deceptive answers she gave later about, 'Gee, I think I meant June 11th,' which is long after school is out. The key is going back, refocusing and reconstructing every hour and minute she spent on that fateful June 4th to find out exactly where the holes are in her original story."

Hill pointed out in the Terri Horman's timeline of that morning there is a three-hour period where we're not really sure what was happening between the time she dropped Kyron off, the last time she saw him at school, and showed up at the gym. Terri Horman's friend DeDe Spicher is also being questioned about those times.

McCain said those periods are significant, he said, "especially given the close relationship between DeDe and Terri."

McCain said, "The investigators seem to be putting pressure on Terri's closest friends, associates and family to basically tell them, it's time to get on the right side of this issue. DeDe right now seems to be on Terri's side and we'll see how long that lasts. That critical 90-minutes for both of them is where they seem to be focusing efforts on June 4th day."

Hill added Kyron's father and mother say Spicher is hampering investigation. The sheriff's department recently came out and answer questions from journalists via e-mail, Hill said. One question that was asked was whether they have any information to believe whether Kyron is alive. They didn't answer it directly.

McCain said, "They could not bring themselves to say yes. The best they could do is, 'We continue to hope.' That put the sheriff's office in the same position as thousands of others looking for Kyron."

He added, "Bottom line is Kyron is either alive and dead, and that's the blunt truth right now. So, right now the key is to try to put pressure on Terri and perhaps through an arrest on an unrelated criminal episode. This would be the murder hire for-hire plot. Using that could potentially leverage the truth out of both people involved in this. Right now, Kyron is simply missing and nobody, including investigators, seem to know what happened to him."

Clemens added the Multonomah County sheriff is expected to speak on Tuesday after several weeks of silence, which has many here hoping for answers or a break in the case.

[LetThereBeLight]

Again, truth serum used in an intelligent way would be the NEW INVESTIGATIVE TOOL of the future. NO 'yes' and 'no' questions, and NO leading questions -- strictly open-ended questions with all subjects' attorneys allowed to be present. In this case, ALL parties should undergo this procedure to uncover the truth. If it turns out that Terri did take Kyron, the question of 'why' would need to be answered -- was there abuse in the home and this was Terri's way of protecting Kyron? And, then this leads to 'how safe is Kiara'? MAKE THE LEGAL SYSTEM FAIR!

[LetThereBeLight]

I am rethinking the case of little Kyron Horman AND there is one more question that I have to ask AND that is the credibility of the gardener. Why did he wait SO long to go authorities -- I understand that this was approximately 6 months? If anyone had been asking you to commit murder -- wouldn't you go to the authorities IMMEDIATELY? This is only speculation BUT if the gardener was involved in the disappearance of little Kyron, would he then fabricate a story to implicate Terri, AND this way, he would let himself OFF the hook -- or, was helping to let someone else off the hook that may have paid him off? The TIMING of when the gardener came forward speaks for itself -- was he really willing to let Kaine be endangered for
6 months? OR, was this some kind of fabrication for some other reason? Could he have followed Terri and abducted Kyron on the day in question? Have the grounds of the house been thoroughly inspected?

[igotplans2]

It's a good point about the gardener, but I can believe he'd be approached and not go to authorities right away. The only reason I say that is because I watch a lot of true crime shows, and I've seen MANY cases where someone, or even several people have been approached to kill someone, and it goes nowhere. Usually, the person comes forward after the fact, and says they either didn't believe the solicitor was really serious (because it sounded so outlandish, or the person was just upset at the moment), or that they didn't want to involve themselves for fear of their own safety. Example: If she asks gardener to kill the boy, and gardener tells cops, cops have no cause for an arrest with only that allegation. But they have to investigate, which means interrogating the person plotting the murder. Now, that person knows who ratted, because they know who they told. And if a person's dangerous enough to be willing to commit murder, they'd probably have no problem harming a snitch, or HIS kid.

[msay3]

This is such a sad story....The cops want their 15 minutes, as well as Terri Horman and everyone else involved...FOCUS ON THE DISAPPEARANCE AND POSSIBLE MURDER OF THIS INNOCENT CHILD!!! DON'T FEED THE NEWS MEDIA ANYMORE FODDER UNTIL THIS TRAGIC CASE IS SOLVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEN PUBLISH THE TRUTH, AND NOT ALL OF THE HYPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why am I using caps???? So that all of you people who have been side-tracked by the media will take notice, come back into reality and focus on what is really important!!!!

[ouchitatom]

The hold up would be not to deprive the suspects of due process or violate thier constitutional rights so when the arrest does happen it will stick. If kyron is alive then I think he is being supplied food and water or surely he has perished. God be with all his loved ones and may the guilty feel the full weight of our laws if it takes ten appeals and 20 million to get them to the death gurney. I want to see some of these abducters and molesters taken out of society and put down. Anyone can become used to prison life when they are looking at a no chance parole.

[TerriOpinions]

What is the hold up? Tell me on my Uncensored Horman Case Forum at Terri Moulton Horman Dot Com

[ladyang]

I'm tired of this story and this kid. Arrest them all (step mother, father, step father, and mother)and move on. Oregon is a big state, but it's Kyron all the time, non-stop. 5 new stations and this is the leading story morning, noon and night.
Just like when that girl disappeared in AL a few years ago.

[Elidamae]

You must have no soul. What if this was your child? When it concerns the life of a child, enough is never enough.

[mvmv1]

YOU are a real piece of crap who obiously does not have children or a mate for that matter....who really cares if YOUR sick of this story-then why waste your time responding???? I guess your just a lonly angry person...soooo sad for you!!!
GOD Bless Kyron, may the person who has him, took him or hurt him burn in hell!

[opticallady1]

Doesn't the step mom know she is going to be in trouble sooner or later?
Why not make it sooner,let Kyrons family know what happened to him.Apparent she has accomplished what she wanted to,so just come clean.
Praying for Kyron

[mecury69]

Hey CBS...who's running the show over there? What a crappy article. Seems it was written by a 4th grader. Or am I being too generous?

"either alive and dead," Come on.

[jlkc76]

This story is full of flaws, not the least of which is that Skyline's last day of school (according to their website and other news articles around that time) was June 15th. While I believe the waffling around the date of the doctor's appointment is a valid concern in this case, it's not the glaring indication of guilt that your article makes it out to be. Where is the accuracy and fact-checking?

[twzzlrgirl]

This reporting is absolutely horrendous. The 4th was NOT the last day of school at Skyline. This makes me question the validity of all the other statements in this story, since something so easy to check is WRONG.

And Kyron is either alive or dead? Wow...stunning. That can be said for only, what?...100% of the people on this planet right now. Very insightful.

[thesevenveils]

Yep. There are only two kinds of people in this world.