San Antonio police have launched new surveillance footage displaying the second a three-year-old Afghan lady walked away from a playground earlier than her mom reported her lacking final 12 months.
Lina Sardar Khil was final seen on the playground inside her gated Villas Del Cabo condo advanced on December 20, 2021.
Her mom Zarmeena had stated she was watching Lina play along with her youthful brother when she rotated for 5 minutes. When she turned again, she couldn’t see her daughter among the many dozen-plus youngsters.
Footage taken from a resident’s safety digital camera now reveals Lina taking part in along with her mom and youthful brother on the playground that day earlier than she walked out the gate.
The younger baby seemed each methods and twirled her hair earlier than strolling out of view.
Newly launched surveillance footage reveals 3-year-old Lina Sardar Khil stepping out of a playground at her San Antonio condo advanced earlier than strolling away
The brand new footage comes one 12 months after the lady was reported lacking, because the San Antonio police offered an replace on their investigation into Lina’s disappearance.
‘Sooner or later within the video, she walked off the display, and that was the final sighting that we’ve got of her on video,’ Jeremy Volz stated.
He famous that San Antonio cops, working at the side of the FBI, have adopted up on a whole lot of tips on Lina’s whereabouts, however none of them have panned out and officers have nonetheless not been capable of find the now four-year-old lady.
Det. German Fuentes, of the Particular Victims Unit, added that he thought the circumstances of the younger lady’s disappearance have been suspicious, saying ‘youngsters do not simply vanish into skinny air.
‘To be trustworthy, they’re suspicious circumstances based mostly on the kid’s age, the truth that we’ve got not discovered any proof to point the place she is at,’ he stated within the video posted to the San Antonio Police Division’s Fb web page.
Fuentes added: ‘There’s a vital witness someplace on the market. That person who is aware of one thing wants to return ahead and disclose what they know.’
And, Volz stated, the San Antonio Police Division is not going to hand over on the seek for the younger immigrant.
‘That is our final objective, is to search out Lina,’ he stated. ‘Till she’s discovered, no individual and no principle could be dominated out on what occurred to her.’
The now four-year-old disappeared on December 20, 2021 in what police say are suspicious circumstances
Lina’s mom, Zarmeena, stated she turned away for a couple of minutes and when she turned again round she couldn’t see her daughter taking part in within the playground with the opposite children
Zarmeena has stated she remembers letting her daughter out to play with different youngsters on December 20, 2021.
Round 5.30pm, Zarmeena was watching Lina, who was carrying a black jacket, a purple gown and black sneakers, run across the advanced’s playground. She noticed the again of Lina’s head earlier than she turned away for 5 minutes.
When she rotated, she could not discover Lina among the many dozen-plus youngsters.
She then knocked on each door for the following half-hour earlier than calling Lina’s father, Riaz.
‘I stored considering Lina would seem,’ she stated, noting she figured her daughter went off to play with one other native Afghan household.
Each Riaz and Zarmeena then reached out to a number of native Afghan group leaders to assist of their seek for their daughter.
‘Our group doesn’t belief the authorities,’ stated Lawang Mangal. ‘He didn’t know what to do.’
After an hour into Lina’s disappearance, Mangal urged the Sardar household to name the police.
The native Afghan refugee group got here collectively for days to seek for Lina
Locals gathered for a community-based search and rescue effort following Lina’s disappearance
Authorities then rushed to the condo advanced, Volz stated, and went door-to-door on the condo advanced to query all residents.
They checked automobiles and dumpsters for the younger baby, and used canines to look the realm across the playground.
Within the first few hours, Police Chief William McManus stated, these canines have been capable of decide up a scent, however shortly misplaced it and have been by no means capable of decide it up once more.
Native officers later referred to as within the FBI to assist with the search, given the suspicious circumstances surrounding the case.
By September, McManus stated each departments had sifted via all the ideas and leads over the course of 9 months, however have been nonetheless unable to uncover any new data.
He stated on the time he was confused by the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.
‘I’ve not talked to anybody about this case, household or legislation enforcement, that is simply not baffled,’ McManus stated.
‘No one vanishes into skinny air, and I do not imagine that Lina did both. I by no means hand over. I do not suppose the police ever hand over on a case.’
Pamela Allen, a household spokesperson, informed KENS5 {that a} non-public investigator has additionally been employed to help investigators.
‘There’s been just a few leads which have are available in, however nothing strong,’ she stated.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus had stated canines have been capable of decide up her scent within the hours after Lina’s disappearance, however shortly misplaced it
Police and FBI brokers are pictured scouring the scene of the playground contained in the gated Villas Del Cabo condo advanced
Public searches for Lina within the San Antonio space have since been referred to as off, as authorities now not imagine she remains to be in Texas.
However Allen has urged all locals to proceed carrying buttons with Lina’s face on it and to put up flyers describing her look.
‘We’re believing that somebody will say one thing that can lead out to be a very good tip,’ Allen stated.
A $250,000 reward is on the market to anybody who is ready to present data resulting in Lina’s whereabouts.
On the time of her disappearance, she was described as four-feet-tall and weighing 55lbs, with brown eyes and straight, shoulder-length brown hair tied in a ponytail. She was final seen carrying a black jacket, a purple gown and black sneakers.
The younger lady had beforehand survived a suicide bombing in Afghanistan
Her father, Riaz, stated he determined to get the household to flee Afghanistan the place ‘threats’ have been posed to his household
Her disappearance got here as a shock to the native Afghan group, a lot of whom had moved to Texas from the war-torn nation.
The Khil household, for instance, moved to the US in 2019 from Afghanistan after fleeing from ‘threats that have been posed to us,’ Lina’s father Riaz informed KENS5.
Riaz was an Afghan soldier who aided US forces and was granted immigration previous to Lina’s start — and once they returned to the nation for a household go to, Lina and her household survived a suicide bombing that killed 13 US troopers and a whole lot of Afghans in the summertime of 2021.
Riaz stated he believed San Antonio was a very good place to relocate his household, as the town is dwelling to an estimated 2,600 Afghan refugees.
‘We got here from Afghanistan to have a contented and secure life right here, however it did not occur,’ Riaz stated.
‘My entire life was ruined.’
‘Throughout our whole lives we’ve got not been as saddened as we have been yesterday and at this time,’ Riaz Khil stated final 12 months because the search continued for his younger daughter.
He now works as a truck driver whereas his spouse has turn into entwined in a group of Afghan ladies who dwell of their condo advanced.
Anybody with any data can name SAPD’s Lacking Individuals Unit at (210) 207-7660 or Crime Stoppers at (210) 224-7867.
