SAN ANTONIO — Volunteers say they’re doing whatever it takes to find a missing 3-year-old girl.
On Wednesday, a group fanned out to search wooded areas on the northwest side, close to where Lina Sardar Khil went missing.
Volunteers focused on wooded areas in the Medical Center, nearly a mile away from the apartment complex where Khil was last seen.
Nearly 30 volunteers lined up arms length apart after a safety briefing and ventured into the brush to find Khil.
“I’m a grandmother and a mother. This has really been very touching,” Irene Guardiola Deleon said. She has spent years in education. She's from Austin, but lives in San Antonio now. She said she wants to help in any way she can.
Many others felt compelled to do something.
“It hits you right in the gut. You want to do the right thing and be out here and do whatever it takes to find the little girl,” Rosie Phalen, a volunteer said. She lives close by and wanted to come out to help.
People could be seen walking through brush, checking barrels, looking anywhere a little girl might run to.
Veronica Lee works with the Search and Rescue SATX group, and says they want to do what they can to help police, but also stay out of their way.
“I pray that she’s lost, somewhere sitting down near a tree asking for someone to come help her and that would be the ideal situation is to find her alive,” Lee said. "We need more eyes on the ground and clear this area and say she’s not here. That’s the biggest thing so we can tell the police and say she’s not here."
There were more eyes on the ground, and a dog being used to track down where Khil could be.
San Antonio Police say this is still a missing person’s case, but it remains puzzling to some.
“It’s mind boggling to think how could a child disappear from such a small area,” Guardiola Deleon said.
Instead of thinking, Guardiola Deleon feels it's time to act, and try to search for Khil who hasn’t been seen for nine days.
“I’m hoping for that my own peace of mind, maybe we’ll find something, maybe not. But for my own peace of mind to give a part of myself,” Guardiola Deleon said.
The group spent about four hours searching in this area all around the Medical Center.
Lina’s family has asked to join in the search which will start at 9 a.m. on Thursday.
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