A 5-year-old boy in California snuck away from his mother earlier this week and is still missing as storms plague the state.
Lindsy Doan, the mother of 5-year-old Kyle Doan, was driving the boy to school on Monday when she lost control of her vehicle in running water. She exited the car, hugging a tree while holding her son’s hand before a current swept him away.
Searches are underway this week and about 200 volunteers and other officials have searched San Marcos Creek near Paso Robles, about 30 miles north of San Luis Obispo.
Here’s what you need to know about the missing boy and state searches.
“Mom, It’s Okay:” Boy slips from his mother’s arms into California waters
Doan told the The Bharat Express News she didn’t think the water flowing over a creek crossing was deeper than normal when she drove Kyle to school on Monday. But the water rushed with more force than she expected, and her Chevy Traverse was pinned against a fig tree.
“Mom, it’s okay,” Kyle told her. “Just be calm.”
She was able to open her door and grab hold of a tree, telling Kyle to leave his backpack and other belongings behind and sit in the front seat. Kyle’s mother grabbed his hand, but the water dragged him to the other side of the tree.
“I felt his fingers slip out of mine,” she said, the The Bharat Express News reported.
“I saw his head kind of float and he looked at me because he was backing up,” she said, pointing out that her son can’t swim. “I tried to keep my head above water, but the current kept pulling me down.
“And after a while I stopped seeing Kyle or what was going on,” she said.
Which searches have been initiated?
Thursday was the fourth day of the search for the 5-year-old boy.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Thursday afternoon that search operations are continuing and that about 120 members of the California National Guard assisted in the search.
Other people looking for the boy include:
- Search and rescue and diving personnel from multiple California counties
- Six K9 teams
- Drone teams and other emergency services and law enforcement
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office said on Thursday that about 200 people are involved in the search for the boy.
Officials have only confirmed that they found one of the boy’s blue and gray Nike shoes.
The California National Guard tweeted photos on Thursday of soldiers supporting the search for the 5-year-old.
Are the storms in California over?
No, the spate of storms in the state is expected to continue.
A Pacific cyclone will send an atmospheric river to the West Coast, forecasters say, with the heaviest rain expected in the coming days from Northern California to the Pacific Northwest.
What is an ‘atmospheric river’?:These rivers of water vapor can stretch for thousands of miles.
At least 18 people have died in the storms in the state since late December. Most deaths are from falling trees and cars being swept away by floods.
Contributors: John Bacon and Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY; The Bharat Express News
