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Kyle Doan: Dad of California boy, 5, swept away in flood says wife 'made right choice' by leaving car

'It would've been a death trap if they'd stayed there,' said Kyle Doan's father Brian Doan

SAN MIGUEL, CALIFORNIA: The father of a five-year-old boy who was with his mother before getting swept away in the California flood has finally broken his silence about his wife's decision to abandon their car. Little Kyle Doan and his mom Lindsy Doan were on their way to his school in San Miguel, California, on Monday, January 9, when they got stuck in floodwaters near San Marcos Creek. They had to abandon their car as it started floating off the road.

The mother was able to hold Kyle for a little while but unfortunately, he was swept away by floodwaters after she lost her balance. Kyle's father Brian Doan backed up his wife's decision to leave the car although their child has been missing ever since. "It would've been a death trap if they'd stayed there," Kyle's father Brian told People when asked about Lindsy's choice to abandon the vehicle.

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While speaking to Adam Montiel in the 'Up & Adam in the Morning' podcast, Brian said, "My wife does not want to talk a lot publically anymore, she has got burnout after the last couple of days." Investigators told him that the car was pushed further down the creek where it was later found upside down. "She made the right decision given the circumstances," he added, according to The Sun. The father thanked the social media for getting an overwhelming response and support from people all over the country. "My family is just extremely gratified. It's still surreal to know how many people in the area were supportive", he said while sobbing. 

It was also revealed in the podcast that somebody found Lindsy's laptop which she left in the car. "Yeah and that was to be expected some point because she left a lot of her belongings in the car. And we expect that we are going to find stuff. It's been helpful", Brian said when asked about it. 

On Monday, police spent seven hours searching for Kyle until the weather became too intense. The search resumed later on in the week. The authorities were able to recover one of his sneakers, although they were unable to find the boy.

The state-wise death toll from the flood has risen to 19 now, the Los Angeles Times reported. The state's Emergency Services Director Nancy Ward said that floods are the most deadly natural disasters in California. She said more people died in this series of storms than in the last two wildfire seasons combined.

The Doans are now left worried over what happened to Kyle. "I just want him found right now," Brian told People. "I know it's probably not going to be the best possible outcome, but I just want an outcome." Lindy and he share two other children, 16 and 18. 

Lindsy is a special education teacher at Lillian Larsen Elementary, which is where Kyle was enrolled in Kindergarten. A GoFundMe has been set up by Katarena Messer who claims to be a close friend of the family. The fundraiser collected $29,967 when this article was published.