It’s been three weeks and there’s still no sign of 3-year-old Lina Khil, who disappeared from a playground within an apartment community on the city’s Northwest Side last month.
On Sunday, members of the Afghan community and other volunteers said they are not losing hope and are continuing their search relentlessly.
In the last 20 days, the volunteer groups have searched near and far, combing through ditches, the brush, and even the murky waters of a creek in hopes of finding Lina.
Frank Trevino, a volunteer who has formed part of the search party since the AMBER Alert was made, said the group won’t rest until she’s found.
“At this point, we are searching areas, hopeful that we’ll get a lead or find something that pertains to Lina,” said Trevino.
The search party canvassed areas near Huebner Road, not far from where Lina was last seen on Dec. 20. CEO of Eagles Flight Pamela Allen said they’ve maintained an open line of communication with the FBI, SAPD, and the community.
“We have a lot of tips coming into my website, my Facebook, even people calling me with tips and we quickly get those over to the FBI and this area specifically is one we’ve been getting tips to look in,” said Allen.
Lina has been the subject of an AMBER alert for nearly three weeks. Last week, that AMBER alert was discontinued.
Police said they had received a tip that led them to search a nearby creek. The FBI had called for a dive team that flew in from Washington D.C. and searched every inch of the area, but their efforts weren’t successful.
“Efforts are going to continue to be relentless. This is a mother whose arms are empty. She does not have her Lina in her arms, and we are going to make that sure that we help with that,” said Allen.
Lina’s disappearance continues to be a missing person case and anyone with any information is asked to call SAPD’s missing person unit at 210-706-7660.