SAN ANTONIO — All-out searches continue for a missing little girl as the new year looms. Lina Sardar Khil is only 3 years old, and has been gone for more than a week.
On Tuesday, even Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar on his horse looked for the child in several heavily wooded areas throughout the medical center. BCSO said it was close to where Lina disappeared. Also on the ground is the Alamo Area Search and Rescue. Lee Wingert with the group said they only activate at the request of law enforcement.
"Our goal is to always have a successful ending to the story," he said.
The volunteer and highly-trained group was asked by San Antonio Police to help find Lina. They're using specialized canines in this case.
"The canine is doing the work," he said. They are trained to look for live find. We have trailing dogs. We have a couple of dog hounds that we use to get a scent article from the individual's family."
Wingert told KENS 5 they've done multiple searches at the apartment complex where Lina vanished. The group searched an area that was an interest of investigators, on Tuesday. They looked for four hours but no luck.
"It is disheartening that we haven't found anything that leads us closer to Lina," SAPD Chief William McManus said.
Since this is an active investigation: the group is on standby. When SAPD calls them, they will be ready to go out and look for Lina. In the meantime, another search group plans to look for the three-year-old Wednesday morning at the Medical Center Field Park at 8465 Floyd Curl Drive. The meeting spot is nearly two miles from Lina's home.
The group called Search And Rescue SATX was created after another high-profile missing persons case. Andreen McDonald was a mother who disappeared and was later found dead in a field. This search group called-up law enforcement to ask if they could help in the search for Lina. Nina Glass, who is a member of the group, said this case has gripped our community. She said she feels for Lina's family who moved from Afghanistan to the U.S.
"What tore up my heart the most is that this baby's family came here to be safe and now she is missing," she said.
Search And Rescue SATX said anyone who wants to help should show up at Medical Center Field at 9 a.m. They plan to search for several hours. They ask anyone who shows up to wear a long-sleeve shirt, pants, boots or sneakers.