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Kyle Doan: Mom of missing boy, 5, swept away in California floods pleads officials not to give up as she fears search might go cold

Lindsy Doan fears his missing son may never be found and the search could end as a 'cold case'

SAN MIGUEL, CALIFORNIA: The mother of a five-year-old boy, Kyle Doan, who was last seen on January 9, 2023, after washing away near San Miguel, is asking state authorities to continue searching for her son. Lindsy Doan sent a letter February 22 to San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson, Governor Gavin Newsom and state officials, writing “We have abided by every rule that was delivered to us. We have been patient and understanding, but can’t stop asking the same question. Where is the Sheriff's team? In our minds, it’s turning into a cold case.”

According to CBS, Kyle went missing when his mother Lindsy was driving him to school and lost control of her SUV after a violent storm in Southern California. The car went off the road and got stuck on a tree. Kyle told Lindsy from the back seat, "Mom, it's OK. Just be calm," before his fingers slipped away from his mother and he was swept away.

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Search for Kyle Doan continues

The search for Kyle involved more than 100 National Guard officers assisted by the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office and underwater search and rescue teams, BBC reports. The effort included an aerial search from the Salinas River north to the Pacific Ocean, the SLO County Sheriff announced via Twitter. Kyle's whereabouts, however, remain a mystery.

'If it was your child, when would you give up?'

On February 22, the mother started the post by saying, “In five days, we will meet our 7 week mark. 7 weeks of sleepless nights, 7 weeks of anxiety triggers, 7 weeks without our rainbow baby, 7 weeks of being frozen in time. We have searched every weekend since Kyle went missing, gone on spot searches when we want to take a closer look at specific areas during the week, and spent time researching, planning searches, reaching out to possible community and non profit organizations that can support our searches."

Lindsy then added, "The sheriff's efforts were consistent up to the 4 week mark in terms of boots on the ground. Many agencies came in, checked some concerning areas and then disappeared. Since then, it’s been excuses….We’re waiting for the weather to get warmer. The water needs to recede more. It’s too cold for the dogs to come out. I get it. You’re tired, but again I ask. If it was your child, when would you give up?"

"I’m sure you’re all tired of my letters by now, but my family is sick and tired of the excuses. We’re exhausted with your “atv drive throughs” to check out conditions. We can’t make sense of helicopter flyovers when we’re pretty sure that Kyle can’t be sighted from the skies. He probably would’ve been found by now if that were the case. We’re tired of the sheriff’s team making it look like they’re doing something when in actuality, a lot of it seems to be surface work to make it “look” like something is being done. Our messages are being ignored. It takes days for someone to return our texts. There are less phone calls. Meetings seem to be the norm," she described and further said, "We requested a map to eliminate our search areas. At first, it sounded like it would be released to the public, but then, we received a denial from what we learned was a decision from the top, not helping us with our own searches. We as civilians who are untrained with limited funds are doing guesswork right now with a phenomenal community who have stood up to support us, but where is the Office of Emergency Services and the San Luis Obispo Sheriff Departments?" "Please step up and put actions to your words. We need you on the ground, physically searching, not continuing to wait for waters to recede more when a larger amount of the land is already dry. In Governor Newsom’s press conference, he says 'We will not stop searching until he is found'. Put that promise to action. Find him and bring Kyle home," the mother concluded.