New ‘large-scale’ search announced for SLO County boy swept away in floodwaters
The search for the missing 5-year-old who was swept away in San Miguel floodwaters will resume this weekend with a major operation involving up to 300 people, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday.
The Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the San Luis Obispo County Incident Management Team, will conduct “a large-scale ground search operation” for Kyle Doan on Saturday and Sunday.
Kyle was swept away by raging floodwaters as he and his mother tried to drive across San Marcos Creek on Jan. 9.
Since then, there have been numerous searches for the missing kindergartner. In May, the Doan family said they felt state and local agencies had not done enough to locate their son, saying the agencies missed opportunities to search when weather conditions were optimal.
This new search will involve approximately 300 search crew personnel from around the state, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.
Crews will search in the Salinas River from the San Marcos Creek juncture to the Big Sandy Creek area — a roughly 6-mile-long and half-mile-wide area, according to the release. K9s and heavy equipment will be on hand and prepared if evidence of Kyle’s location is discovered, the agency said.
The Sheriff’s Office said there is no need for volunteers at this time and that “all incident needs are being met.”
“We also appreciate the community’s generosity in donating food for this search effort, but we have no means of accepting the donations,” the agency said in the release. “Again, we ask for the community’s patience as we conduct this latest search effort, and we thank everyone for the ongoing support.”
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