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Amber alert: Where is Lina Sardar Khil? Afghan refugee girl, 3, vanishes in San Antonio

Lina Sardar Khil was playing inside the apartment complex grounds right before her mysterious disappearance

The San Antonio Police Department has issued an Amber alert for a missing three-year-old girl, who reportedly went missing from a playground on late Monday afternoon, December 20. Lina Sardar Khil was playing inside the apartment complex grounds in the 9400 block of Fredericksburg Road, right before her mysterious disappearance. Around 5 PM on December 20, her mother left the area briefly, only to come back and find Lina missing. 

According to San Antonio Police Chief William McManus, "(The department is) sparing no assets, no resource, to try to find Lina." He added that the search for her is continuing 24 hours a day at the moment, as the child is believed to be in "grave danger". "And we will continue this until, hopefully, we find Lina. But we are not stopping at the end of the shift. This will be continuous," McManus mentioned. 

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Where is Lina Sardar Khil?

Lina Sardar Khil and her family are reportedly refugees from Afghanistan who has been residing in San Antonio. She was having fun in the playground in the presence of other children and adults before going missing on Monday. Police have identified most of the other children and adults who were present during Lina's disappearance, which happened soon after her mother left her unsupervised for a short time. Her parents are not very articulate in English and her mother also speaks in a rare Arabic dialect, creating a language barrier with the interrogators. "Their state is what you might expect for parents whose child has been missing for some time," Chief McManus said about her parents. 

Presently, the apartment complex on Fredericksburg Road is under strict police vigilance as the law enforcement officers have put up checkpoints. They are organizing door-to-door searches and searching commuting cars in search of Line. SAPD has also approached the FBI to aid in finding Lina as soon as possible. 

"We’ve got a command line set up and we’re continuing to do this for the long haul if that’s necessary," McManus informed. He also urged people to contact the SAPD Missing Persons Unit at 210-207-7660 in case anyone comes across Lina or finds out who she is with.  At the time of the disappearance, Lina was dressed in red, wearing a black jacket and black shoes, while her hair was tied in a ponytail.

"Police say Lina Khil went missing after her mother left for 'a short time'; allegedly there were other adults and children at the playground. Lina and her family are refugees from Afghanistan living in San Antonio. Amber alert issued despite not having description of suspect(s)," a Twitter user shared along with unseen photos of Lina. 

Local reporter Melissa Vega shared, "SEARCH CONTINUES FOR #MISSING SAN ANTONIO 3 YR OLD Police say Lina Sardar Khil went missing Mon. evening while on a playground at a Northwest side apt. complex along 9400 Fredericksburg Rd. #AMBERAlert activated #HelpUsFind"