SAN ANTONIO — The search continues for a missing 3-year-old girl who vanished from a residential playground on the northwest side Monday afternoon. As they continue to search, the San Antonio Police Department is asking for the community’s assistance in providing information surrounding Lina Sardar Khil’s disappearance.
SAPD officials said Thursday they're looking to talk to anyone who was at the Villas del Cabo Apartments along the 9400 block of Fredericksburg Road or saw Lina’s family on Monday.
When this search began, SAPD said there was a language barrier with the family. One of the men who helped overcome that barrier has been with the family as they wait for answers.
Lawang Mangal said he’s a close friend of Lina's father, telling KENS 5 the two are from the same province in Afghanistan.
Mangal said that about an hour after Lina went missing, her father called him asking for advice.
“The father and mother are really heartbroken," he said. "They’re really sad and they’re, right now, very unhopeful. Not very much hope about [finding her]."
Over the past several days, SAPD has used several resources, including assistance from the FBI, in searching for Khil.
On Thursday, SAPD said investigators did not have any substantial updates, but that they continue to utilize an "all-hands-on-deck" approach to make sure no clue is left undiscovered.
Mangal tells KENS 5 the family is trying to remain optimistic and is cooperating with the police.
“[Police] don’t talk much about the evidence that we’ve got or what process we’re going through, we’re working on that. They don’t go into detail. They just say, 'We’re doing our best and we hope to find the child very soon,'” Mangal said.
SAPD is asking that anyone who was at the Villas Del Cabo apartments at 9400 Fredericksburg Road between 4:30 p.m. and 5:10 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 20, to call the Missing Persons Unit at (210) 207-7660.
Police also ask that anyone who had contact with Lina or her family at any time on Monday to call SAPD.
At 10 a.m. on Friday the family is expected to join an interfaith prayer vigil at the St. Francis Episcopal Church, hoping that Lina can be found.
The young girl was last seen wearing a red dress, black jacket and black shoes.
Crime Stoppers of San Antonio says it is offering $50,000 for information leading to Lina's whereabouts, on top of the $100,000 being offered by the Islamic Center of San Antonio.