San Antonio Crime Stoppers is offering a $50,000 reward — on top of $100,000 already being offered by the Islamic Center of San Antonio — for information on Lina Khil, the three-year-old whose disappearance has grabbed national headlines.
Khil disappeared from a park near the Villas Del Cabo apartment complex in Northwest San Antonio Dec. 20 between 4-5 p.m. and was last seen wearing a red dress, back jacket and black shoes.
Although San Antonio police are investigating the matter as a missing persons case, Police Chief William McManus acknowledged that he requested assistance from the FBI’s child abduction unit. Khil’s parents said they believe she was abducted.
The search for Khil — whose family are some of the 1,300 Afghan refugees relocated to South Texas — has caught the attention of tabloid news blogger Perez Hilton and national news outlets.
Locally, witnesses report seeing FBI agents dressed in hazmat suits and sifting through dumpsters Monday, according to TV station KENS. The FBI and SAPD are also being assisted by Project Absentis, a non-profit that helps law enforcement with missing person cases, the station reports.
Residents of the Villas Del Campo Apartment Complex told TV station KSAT the FBI has been knocking on doors asking for information and even searching apartments of some residents. Law enforcement also requested surveillance footage from several businesses located in the 9400 block of Fredericksburg Road.
In Texas alone, 49,110 people were reported missing in 2020, 75% of them children, according to the National Crime Information Center.
Despite efforts from law enforcement, non-profits, the media and local residents, the case remains cold. Those with any information are encouraged to call SAPD at (210) 207-7660.
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