The mother of a boy who was washed away near San Miguel during the January 9 storm is once again pleading for help from local and state agencies.
Lindsy Doan on Wednesday addressed a letter to San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson, Governor Gavin Newsom and state representatives regarding the search for her son, Kyle.
She starts out by saying, “In five days, we will meet our 7 week mark. 7 weeks of sleepless nights, 7 weeks of anxiety triggers, 7 weeks without our rainbow baby, 7 weeks of being frozen in time.”
Lindsy Doan goes onto describe the continuous searches her family, friends and community volunteers have done along the Salinas River and San Miguel area for her son since he was swept away, but says help from local and state officials is no longer there.
“We have abided by every rule that was delivered to us. We have been patient and understanding, but can’t stop asking the same question. Where is the Sheriff's team? In our minds, it’s turning into a cold case.”
The sheriff’s office has previously said searches would continue in an ongoing, but limited basis. The last search to scope out a portion of the Salinas River for future potential searches was Feb. 15. The sheriff’s office says even that effort was hampered by mud.
Shortly after Kyle went missing, the sheriff’s office along with local agencies and even the National Guard, at times involving hundreds of people, searched for the missing 5-year-old, but over time, searches in an official capacity have been scaled back.
“The sheriff's efforts were consistent up to the 4 week mark in terms of boots on the ground. Many agencies came in, checked some concerning areas and then disappeared. Since then, it’s been excuses….We’re waiting for the weather to get warmer. The water needs to recede more. It’s too cold for the dogs to come out. I get it. You’re tired, but again I ask. If it was your child, when would you give up?,” Lindsy Doan said in the letter.
Lindsy and her husband, Brian Doan, pushed to get access to areas previously blocked off or only accessible to authorities, writing a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom earlier this month asking for help from the state to remove legal barriers in the ongoing search for their son so they could expand private search efforts.
Shortly after, the family said they were told the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife were lifting all restrictions in the search for Kyle.
Private searches have never stopped and more are planned for this weekend.
The sheriff's office on Thursday released the following statement to KSBY in response to Lindsy Doan’s most recent letter and plea for help.
"We support the Doan family. And we will continue to support them as we have done with every effort we’ve undertaken since Kyle disappeared and all those planned efforts still to come. It is our shared hope that through these efforts, Kyle will be located and returned to his family."
A joint statement released Friday by the sheriff’s office, Cal OES and California Department of Fish and Wildlife says the agencies are committed to supporting the ongoing search.
“During this incredibly difficult time, the full weight of state and local government remains behind collective efforts to search for Kyle, and we are committed to supporting the family and community alike. Governor Gavin Newsom has directed Cal OES to coordinate the deployment of any and all resources requested by San Luis Obispo to support the ongoing search.” The agencies remind those involved in private searches to seek permission from individual property owners first and to keep safety top of mind, adding, “Together, we will continue this important work. We have not lost hope.”
“We beg you,” Lindsy Doan said in her letter. “You are professionals with experience and resources. Do something. We are not able to do this on our own.”
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson told KSBY last month he wants to do whatever they can to bring Kyle home.
“From our perspective, we want to bring him home. The family is obviously heartbroken so any reasonable steps that we can take to make that happen is really our goal,” Sheriff Parkinson said, adding that they'd only scale back search efforts once they believed all reasonable efforts to find Kyle had been exhausted. The sheriff's office has not said that has been the case.
