Search for Missing Boy Kyron Horman Now a Criminal Investigation

June 13, 2010— -- Police leading the search for a 7-year-old Oregon boy who disappeared from his school 10 days ago announced today that their effort is now focused on a criminal investigation.

Hundreds of investigators from across Oregon, as well as the FBI and National Guard, had joined the search for Kyron Horman, the second-grader who was last seen shortly after a science fair at his suburban Portland elementary school on June 4.

An official from the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office said today that the search, the largest ever in Oregon, will be scaled back as the direction of the investigation shifts.

"We will keep a contingent of local search and rescue crews on call to respond to any tip or investigative [any] lead that needs to be checked out," Capt. Monte Reiser said today at a news conference. "All along we have said that we are looking at a full spectrum of possibilities as to what happened to Kyron.

"With the search and rescue mission completed at this time, we are moving operations toward the criminal investigative end of the spectrum," he said. "While we are still keeping all options open, it's a natural progression to move the overall focus to a criminal case."

Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton said the change the effort to find the boy would not be diminished.

"It is not going to stop, and I am not going to cease in dedicating resources to locating Kyron," he said.

Kyron was last seen by his stepmother, walking toward his Skyline Elementary School classroom after he had proudly displayed his science fair project on tree frogs.

He was last seen wearing a "CSI" T-shirt and black cargo pants.