June 20, 2025 • 24 mins
The playground should be every child's sanctuary - a place of laughter, freedom, and innocent joy. For three-year-old Lina Sardar Khil, it became the scene of an unthinkable tragedy when she vanished without a trace on December 20, 2021, from her apartment complex in San Antonio, Texas.
Lina's story begins far from American soil. Born in Afghanistan to a family with deep military connections, her grandfather was killed by a suicide bomber in 2009. Her father Riaz followed the same path, serving alongside U.S. troops until 2019 when concerns for his family's safety prompted their relocation to America. They settled among other Afghan refugees, forming a tight-knit community where they believed their children could play freely without fear.
The family had already survived unimaginable trauma. During a 2021 visit to Afghanistan, Lina was knocked unconscious by a suicide bombing at Kabul airport as they fled the Taliban takeover. They escaped with their lives, returning to what they thought was safety in Texas. Months later, during a routine afternoon at the playground where Lina played daily, she disappeared while running with other children around an apartment building. When the children returned, Lina wasn't among them.
What happened in those crucial moments? Surveillance footage captured Lina playing moments before she vanished, but mysteriously contains an 18-minute gap exactly when she disappeared. Was this a targeted abduction connected to her father's military service, or a crime of opportunity by someone who had been watching the playground? The family's struggle with English created additional barriers as they desperately tried to convey what happened to police and media, facing cruel speculation and victim-blaming from online commenters.
Three years later, Lina remains missing despite extensive searches, a $280,000 reward, and age progression photos showing what she might look like now. If you recognize Lina or have information about her disappearance, contact the San Antonio Police Department at 210-207-7660 or the FBI San Antonio office at 210-225-6741. One tip could bring this child home and end her family's unending nightmare.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Lina_Khil
https://unresolved.me/linasardarkhil
https://charleyproject.org/case/lina-sardar-khil
Music:
Crime Trap by Muza Production
Sad Trap Beat by BRVAN
Dark Ambient by Sharvarion
Gone in a Blink is created by Heather Hicks and Danielle E.
Written and produced by Heather Hicks and hosted by Danielle E. and Heather Hicks.
Gone in a Blink theme: Crime Trap created and produced by Muzaproduction
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
There's nothing more innocent than a child playing on
a playground.
It gives them that freedom torun, to giggle loudly as they go
down the slide or to swing ashigh as their little heart's
desire.
They are fearless, and why?
Because that is their safeplace.
(00:38):
They feel that nothing can hurtthem in a place that brings
them so much joy.
Little do they know that is thevery place where predators hide
those individuals with illintentions whose sole purpose is
to hunt these children, and inan instant, once they find the
(01:05):
one, they will change everythingthat child thought they knew
about the world and destroy thefamily that loves them.
This is the case into thedisappearance of Lena Sardar
Kill.
And this is Gone in a Blink.
Hey, true crime fans, I'm yourhost, heather, and welcome to
(01:41):
episode 39 of Gone in a Blink.
This is actually the lastepisode of season 3.
We will begin season 4 inSeptember.
If you haven't gotten caught upwith previous episodes, now
would be an excellent time to dothat.
(02:01):
What we are planning for season4, we have a lot of really
great stuff planned.
We have a lot of awesome cases,cases that a lot of people
probably haven't heard of, whichis kind of.
Our goal usually is to getthose out there, and we also
have some interviews scheduled,so it's going to be a pretty
(02:23):
awesome season, season four, soI will keep things going on our
Facebook page as far as lettingeveryone know what's coming up
and what to expect.
School is out also for most ofthe kiddos here in the US, and
with that comes spending time atthe parks or the local swimming
pools, maybe going to barbecuesor baseball games and other
(02:44):
sporting events, and really justgetting out and enjoying the
warmer weather.
Please, please, be vigilant ofyour surroundings when going out
, especially when going out withlittle ones.
It's so easy to get distracted,especially when you have little
kids with you.
Your babies, those are yourbabies.
So you may be in a situationwhere you are buckling your
(03:09):
children or child into their carseat in a crowded parking lot.
I'm a mom.
I've done this many, many times.
You are busy trying to get onechild in their car seat, and
maybe you may have another childsitting all alone in the
shopping cart that youoriginally pulled close to your
car in an attempt at keeping aclose eye on them as well, but
(03:33):
you keep sticking your foot outthere to stop the shopping cart
that wants to keep trying toroll away because apparently,
every parking lot ever made wasbuilt on a hill.
Apparently every parking lotever made was built on a hill.
And meanwhile you may have yourthird kiddo or fourth kiddo
that's still screaming andthrowing a tantrum because of
(03:53):
the toy that they were set ongetting that you told them to
put down in the checkout line.
Believe me, I get that.
It feels nearly impossible tokeep a constant eye on your
surroundings, especially as aparent, and it's very, very easy
to let our guard down.
That is exactly what happenedto a mother in the case we're
(04:15):
talking about today.
Today, we are talking about thecase of missing three-year-old
Lena Sardar Kill, so if you'reready, let's jump right in.
Lina Sardar-Kil was born onFebruary 20, 2018, in
Afghanistan, to parents Riaz andZarmina Sardar-Kil.
(04:38):
According to an article inUnresolved, lina's grandfather
was an Afghan military commanderwho was killed in 2009 by a
suicide bomber, by a suicidebomber.
Lina's father, riaz, followedin his father's footsteps and
joined the Afghan army, where heserved as a team leader
alongside US troops working forthe nation's security forces.
(05:01):
He served in the militarybetween 2013 and 2019 and
because of his position withinthe military.
He felt as if he'd placed atarget on the backs of both him
and his family.
By 2019, the family obtainedtheir visas and made the move to
the United States, where theysettled down in the Villas del
(05:23):
Cabo apartment complex, nestledalong the 9400 block of
Fredericksburg Road in SanAntonio, texas.
This area was close to theinterstate.
It was close to Interstate 10and the Northwest 410 loop, and
this was an area also known asthe medical center part of town.
(05:44):
Many of the residents here wereAfghan refugees who had
together formed a close-knitcommunity within their
neighborhood.
After coming to the States, riazfound work as a driver for Uber
as well as Lyft, and if any ofour listeners are unfamiliar
with either of those, they'rebasically a rideshare service
(06:11):
where the driver uses their ownvehicle to transport customers
wherever they need to go.
Basically so Riaz's wife becamea stay-at-home mom and took
care of Lina, who was the oldestand then also a younger brother
of Lina's.
By summer of 2021, zarminabecame pregnant for the third
time with another beautiful babybrother for Lina, and Lina was
absolutely over the moon withexcitement because she loved
(06:33):
helping her mother take care ofher little brothers.
So, according to Unresolved,the same year that Lena's newest
baby brother was born, zarminadecided to travel with the
children back to Afghanistan tosee her parents, who were sick.
She wanted to make the tripbefore the Taliban took over
(06:54):
control of the government.
Riaz did not make this tripwith his family due to safety
reasons, according to thearticle and I'm not sure if it
was because he had previouslyfelt like he had a target on his
back due to the type ofmilitary work he performed, or
if there was some other reasonthat August, as US troops began
(07:17):
to withdraw from the country,thousands of people made their
way to the airport in Kabul inan attempt to gain access to one
of the last few planes out ofthe country.
During this time, a suicidebomber detonated a belt of
explosives outside the airport'sgates, killing over 100 Afghans
(07:37):
and 13 US soldiers.
Zamina, lina and her babybrother were among the crowds of
people fleeing from the chaos.
Lina was knocked unconsciousfrom the blast.
She was able to regainconsciousness quickly and the
family fled to a family member'shouse to escape.
They were later evacuated by USmilitary troops and brought
(08:00):
back home to reunite with Riazin San Antonio, and I think it's
pretty safe to say that Lenahad a childhood.
Unlike most kids, she was arefugee, and to experience the
horror that she experienced atthat airport in Kabul at only
three years old is absolutelydevastating.
(08:21):
Unfortunately, this was onlythe beginning for young Lena.
Lena was described by herfamily as being a typical
three-year-old girl who lovedbeing silly and enjoyed playing
with the other kids in herapartment complex.
She also loved helping hermother take care of her baby
brothers.
Playing with the other childrenat the playground located on
(08:41):
the grounds of their apartmentcomplex was an everyday thing
for Lena.
Monday, december 20th 2021, wasjust like any other day for Lena
and her family.
As usual, lena's mother tookher out to the apartment
complex's playground thatafternoon to run and play with
the other kids.
While Lena played, her mothersat with the other parents in
(09:03):
the main area of the playground.
Lena's mother was four monthspregnant at the time, and so
sometimes it was hard for her tokeep up with Lena and her
little brother while they played, often running at the time, and
so sometimes it was hard forher to keep up with Lena and her
little brother while theyplayed, often running around the
courtyard and apartmentbuildings that surrounded the
courtyard.
Around 5 pm, zarmina becameworried when she lost sight of
(09:24):
Lena.
It was reported that she wasrunning with a group of kids who
had run around one of theapartment buildings.
When the rest of the kids wereagain seen running on the other
side of the building, lena wasnot with them.
Trying not to panic, zarminathought that maybe Lena had gone
back to the family's apartment.
She grabbed her son and hurriedto her apartment, only to
(09:45):
discover that Lena was not thereby this time.
Zarmina was extremely worriedand she was hoping that maybe
Lena had gone to another closefriend of the family's and that
they would find her soon.
She called her husband, riaz,who was a short distance away,
to help with the search.
So Riaz raced home and together, along with several other
(10:07):
families, they searched theapartment complex for Lena.
But as the hours passed, withstill no sign of their precious
daughter, they searched theapartment complex for Lena, but
as the hours passed, with stillno sign of their precious
daughter, they became morepanicked.
So at around 7.15, they decidedto call the police and file a
missing persons report.
Police searched the entirepremises of the apartment
complex and at 10 pm an amberalert was issued.
(10:30):
The days that followed were longand the nights were even longer
.
Police scoured the apartmentcomplex and surrounding areas.
K-9 units were brought in andpolice went door to door in the
apartment complex looking foranyone who may have seen young
Lena.
They searched through people'scars and sifted through
(10:51):
dumpsters young Lena.
They searched through people'scars and sifted through
dumpsters.
They made note of license platenumbers of all the residents
within the apartment complex andinterviewed several of the
families, even going as far asto ask if they would be allowed
to search their apartment.
Authorities begin viewingsurveillance footage from nearby
businesses, as well as doorbellcameras from various
(11:12):
neighboring residents, and theytalked with other families who
had been at the playground thatday and made notes of anyone who
may have been described asacting suspicious.
In the days leading up to, aswell as on the day of Lena's
disappearance, search partieswere put together, as well as an
aerial search to scour thewooded area around the apartment
(11:34):
complex in the hopes of findingany sign of Lena.
Unfortunately, the searchesturned up nothing, and
authorities suspected from thebeginning that it was foul play.
However, they couldn't seem tofind any hard evidence to
suggest that it was to find anyhard evidence to suggest that it
(11:55):
was so.
Lena's parents were questionedthe day after Lena went missing.
They were extremely cooperativeand they were ruled out as
suspects pretty quickly.
So since this case isclassified as unsolved,
unfortunately that leaves usnothing else but to theorize
what may have happened tothree-year-old Lena.
Some believe that this was atargeted abduction, while others
(12:16):
speculate that this was a crimeof opportunity.
I think the fact that Lena'sfather had mentioned that he
felt that his family had atarget on their backs due to his
previous job in the militaryreally raises some red flags for
me.
There were no reports that Icould find of anything that
could have happened prior toLena's disappearance to make him
(12:37):
feel this way, and there was nomention of any particular
threats made.
However, something made himfeel that his family could be in
danger, and whether it was justthe general fact that his job
placed him in that position orit was something more specific
that happened as a result of hisjob, I don't know, but this
(12:59):
being a targeted act isdefinitely a possibility.
Now, on the other side of thatcomes the speculation that many
have that this was a crime ofopportunity.
Maybe Maybe someone had beenwatching the apartment complex,
or more specifically theplayground, and spotted Lena.
This could have been asituation where someone had been
(13:20):
watching this playground for awhile and had picked Lena out
with the intention of taking her.
Going to this playground wassomething that Lena and her
mother did pretty much every day, and when you do something
every day ritualistically, suchas this, you can easily become a
target.
That's why it's best to kind ofswitch up your routine every
(13:41):
now and then.
But I'm sure this family andmany others that lived in the
apartment complex felt very safeat this playground Because it
is where they live and becausethey are so close with so many
of the residents.
However, I don't think that theperson who took lena was
someone who lived there, andthat's just my that's solely my
opinion.
It could be that there wassomeone visiting someone else
(14:05):
who lived there, and maybe therewas someone who lena had before
, since there were no reports ofanyone hearing a child scream.
Or maybe this really was atargeted act as a result of
Lena's father's previousmilitary job.
It's really anyone's guess atthis point.
At one point during theinvestigation, a popular sketch
(14:25):
artist by the name of LoisGibson, with the Houston Police
Department, spoke directly witha witness who claimed to have
seen Lena walking with two menon the day of her disappearance.
The end result of Lois'ssketches were of a
dark-complected man of Afghandescent and one of a
lighter-complected man.
When shown these two sketches,lena's family recognized the
(14:50):
darker-complected man andbelieved that he had nothing to
do with.
Lena's family recognized thedarker complected man and
believed that he had nothing todo with Lena's disappearance.
They did not recognize thelighter complected man.
So on December 20th 2022, policereleased surveillance video of
Lena right before she wentmissing.
In the video, lena is seenplaying on the playground just
(15:10):
moments before she disappeared.
One of the residents of theapartment complex had a
surveillance camera thatcaptured those moments.
At one point during the video,lena walks out of view of the
camera.
That is the last anyone hasseen of her, and there were
reports that during thesurveillance footage, there was
(15:36):
a gap in the video between 4.49pm and 5.07 pm, and I find this
incredibly strange because thiswas during the time that Zemina
was frantically searching forLena.
I feel like this would havebeen right around the time that
whatever happened to Lena wasactually happening.
This would have been 11 minutesbefore Zemina realized that
Lena was out of her sight and 7minutes after she realized that
(15:59):
her baby girl was missing.
I feel like this time frame wasprobably the most crucial, and
there's a gap in the video.
I'm unsure if anyone has sincebeen able to explain that gap in
the footage.
However, if any of ourlisteners have found any reports
that I seem to overlook, pleaselet us know.
So, by January of 2022, theAmber Alert for Lena was
(16:24):
discontinued.
However, the investigationcontinued, which now included
help from the FBI.
In April of 2023, lena's father, reyes, took a polygraph test
from the FBI to once again clearhis name, and I think it was
more of the fact that he wantedto clear his name and show the
public that he had nothing to dowith Lena's disappearance, more
(16:47):
than he was doing it for thepolice, because he had already
been cleared as a suspect bypolice.
However, the family enduredmuch ridicule and victim blaming
from a lot of people out therethat felt that either they had
something to do with theirdaughter's disappearance or that
they were just being negligentFrom the beginning.
(17:08):
Lena's family has faced manystruggles during this
investigation.
One of those struggles wassimply the language barrier.
They struggled to convey theaccount of the events to the
police in the correct way.
And then they struggled againwhile trying to relay the events
of what happened that day tothe press.
Their native language is Pashtoand although they used an
(17:33):
interpreter to communicate withthe public, as well as the
police, they felt that much ofwhat they were trying to say was
being misconstrued.
This led to much criticism fromthe public towards Lena's
parents.
Some accused Lena's mother ofbeing careless and just letting
her three-year-old daughter runaround the apartment complex
unsupervised.
Then there were the theoriesthat Lena's mother being
careless and just letting herthree-year-old daughter run
(17:53):
around the apartment complexunsupervised.
Then there were the theoriesthat Lena's family actually set
up a deal to have her sold intosex trafficking.
Then online commenters beganstirring up theories as to why
only Ria's would appear inpublic to talk about Lena's
disappearance, speculating thatmaybe Lena's mother had
something to do with it, whenreally Zarmina chose not to make
(18:16):
public appearances because ofher own cultural and religious
beliefs.
And I think what people don'tunderstand is all this nonsense
of trying to come up withconspiracy theories and things
like that victim blaming reallyhurt the investigation.
And don't get me wrong, thereare situations where things like
(18:39):
this happen and I get that, butthis family was really
struggling and they were alreadydealing with the fact that
English was their secondlanguage and it didn't sound
like they.
They really spoke very greatEnglish.
So to have to deal with thatand to have to deal with the
grief they're already feeling oftheir daughter going missing
(19:01):
and they're trying to relayeverything to the police and the
press and everything like that,and then you have all these
people coming at them makingaccusations that are just
nonsense.
On February 14th 2024, an inmatein the Bexar County Jail led
authorities to a wooded area innorthwest San Antonio between
(19:24):
Auburn Creek and the HelixApartments, about a half a mile
from where Lena disappeared.
The inmate was in jail foraggravated sexual acts involving
a child who allegedly lived atthe same apartment complex as
Lena at the time of herdisappearance.
After an extensive search ofthe area, the inmate's tip was
(19:44):
proven to be non-credible andpolice believed he lied in order
to get more phone privileges,which is yet another crimp in
the investigation.
It really just takes a lot ofmanpower and a lot of time away
from the actual investigationwhat could be the actual
investigation, because nowyou've sent authorities off on a
(20:06):
wild goose chase just to getmore phone privileges.
Not that this inmate reallygave a crap what happened to
lena he was only out for himself, clearly but it just screws up
an investigation.
It takes time away from themreally following credible leads
and it's sad that they thatpeople do this, but they do so.
(20:28):
Over the years, lena's familyhas expressed much
disappointment with lawenforcement.
They feel that the San AntonioPolice Department has stopped
sharing any information withthem and that the only time they
hear about anything regardingLena's case is when they call
the SAPD themselves to check in,and that's usually whenever
(20:49):
they hear about news ontelevision of a trafficking
sting operation or something ofthat nature, with the hope that
maybe law enforcement foundsomething.
The family has been workingwith Eagles Flight Advocacy and
Outreach, a program thatorganizes searches and public
events.
They created an age progressionphoto on February 20, 2023 of
(21:12):
what Lena would look like at 5years old.
The sketch was released aroundher 5th birthday.
The Islamic Center of SanAntonio helped raise a $250,000
reward for info leading toLena's safe return turn.
(21:34):
The family has since raisedthat reward amount to $280,000,
most of which has been raised bythem.
As well as the Afghan communityin San Antonio, the FBI also
have been working with ProjectAbsentees, a local organization
led by a retired FBI agent, whobegan his own investigation of
the case.
During his investigation, heuncovered that a resident living
at the apartment complex thatLena and her family lived in had
(21:57):
been arrested in September 2022for possessing child sexual
abuse material with the intentto distribute.
It was reported that thisindividual was someone known to
Lena's family, but his name hasnot been made public and he has
not been charged in Lena's case,and this could be an excellent
lead, because that could explainwhy it was likely that whoever
(22:21):
she went with, she more thanlikely knew.
In March of 2024, the NationalCenter for Missing and Exploited
Children posted a new ageprogression photo of Lena that
shows what she would look likeat six years old.
Lena was just three years oldwhen she went missing.
She was four foot tall andweighed 55 pounds at the time of
(22:44):
her disappearance.
She has brown hair and browneyes, and her ears are pierced.
She was wearing a redlong-sleeved dress, a black
jacket, black shoes, blue andgold-toned plastic bangle
bracelets, gold earrings and ataweez around her neck, which is
(23:06):
actually an amulet with versesfrom the Quran.
She was born in Afghanistan andspeaks Pashto.
If you know anything regardingthe disappearance of Lena Sardar
Kill, please reach out to theSan Antonio Police Department at
area code 210-207-7660.
(23:29):
You can also contact SanAntonio Crime Stoppers at area
code 210-224-7867 or the FBI SanAntonio office at area code
210-225-6741.
(23:50):
And I will also post thesecontact numbers on our Facebook
page.
Thank you for listening toanother episode of Gone in a
Blink.
If you are interested in what'scoming up with season four here
in September, check out ourFacebook page.
And again, if you haven't heardall the episodes this far, go
back and listen to them all andget caught up.
(24:12):
And if you have an idea for ashow.
Also, please drop us an emailat gone in a blink pod at
gmailcom.
And, as always, we love it ifyou give us a five-star review
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(24:36):
pod.
And last but certainly notleast, please remember, be safe,
be smart and try not to blink.
There's nothing more innocent than a child playing on
a playground.
It gives them that freedom torun, to giggle loudly as they go
down the slide or to swing ashigh as their little heart's
desire.
They are fearless, and why?
Because that is their safeplace.
(00:38):
They feel that nothing can hurtthem in a place that brings
them so much joy.
Little do they know that is thevery place where predators hide
those individuals with illintentions whose sole purpose is
to hunt these children, and inan instant, once they find the
(01:05):
one, they will change everythingthat child thought they knew
about the world and destroy thefamily that loves them.
This is the case into thedisappearance of Lena Sardar
Kill.
And this is Gone in a Blink.
Hey, true crime fans, I'm yourhost, heather, and welcome to
(01:41):
episode 39 of Gone in a Blink.
This is actually the lastepisode of season 3.
We will begin season 4 inSeptember.
If you haven't gotten caught upwith previous episodes, now
would be an excellent time to dothat.
(02:01):
What we are planning for season4, we have a lot of really
great stuff planned.
We have a lot of awesome cases,cases that a lot of people
probably haven't heard of, whichis kind of.
Our goal usually is to getthose out there, and we also
have some interviews scheduled,so it's going to be a pretty
(02:23):
awesome season, season four, soI will keep things going on our
Facebook page as far as lettingeveryone know what's coming up
and what to expect.
School is out also for most ofthe kiddos here in the US, and
with that comes spending time atthe parks or the local swimming
pools, maybe going to barbecuesor baseball games and other
(02:44):
sporting events, and really justgetting out and enjoying the
warmer weather.
Please, please, be vigilant ofyour surroundings when going out
, especially when going out withlittle ones.
It's so easy to get distracted,especially when you have little
kids with you.
Your babies, those are yourbabies.
So you may be in a situationwhere you are buckling your
(03:09):
children or child into their carseat in a crowded parking lot.
I'm a mom.
I've done this many, many times.
You are busy trying to get onechild in their car seat, and
maybe you may have another childsitting all alone in the
shopping cart that youoriginally pulled close to your
car in an attempt at keeping aclose eye on them as well, but
(03:33):
you keep sticking your foot outthere to stop the shopping cart
that wants to keep trying toroll away because apparently,
every parking lot ever made wasbuilt on a hill.
Apparently every parking lotever made was built on a hill.
And meanwhile you may have yourthird kiddo or fourth kiddo
that's still screaming andthrowing a tantrum because of
(03:53):
the toy that they were set ongetting that you told them to
put down in the checkout line.
Believe me, I get that.
It feels nearly impossible tokeep a constant eye on your
surroundings, especially as aparent, and it's very, very easy
to let our guard down.
That is exactly what happenedto a mother in the case we're
(04:15):
talking about today.
Today, we are talking about thecase of missing three-year-old
Lena Sardar Kill, so if you'reready, let's jump right in.
Lina Sardar-Kil was born onFebruary 20, 2018, in
Afghanistan, to parents Riaz andZarmina Sardar-Kil.
(04:38):
According to an article inUnresolved, lina's grandfather
was an Afghan military commanderwho was killed in 2009 by a
suicide bomber, by a suicidebomber.
Lina's father, riaz, followedin his father's footsteps and
joined the Afghan army, where heserved as a team leader
alongside US troops working forthe nation's security forces.
(05:01):
He served in the militarybetween 2013 and 2019 and
because of his position withinthe military.
He felt as if he'd placed atarget on the backs of both him
and his family.
By 2019, the family obtainedtheir visas and made the move to
the United States, where theysettled down in the Villas del
(05:23):
Cabo apartment complex, nestledalong the 9400 block of
Fredericksburg Road in SanAntonio, texas.
This area was close to theinterstate.
It was close to Interstate 10and the Northwest 410 loop, and
this was an area also known asthe medical center part of town.
(05:44):
Many of the residents here wereAfghan refugees who had
together formed a close-knitcommunity within their
neighborhood.
After coming to the States, riazfound work as a driver for Uber
as well as Lyft, and if any ofour listeners are unfamiliar
with either of those, they'rebasically a rideshare service
(06:11):
where the driver uses their ownvehicle to transport customers
wherever they need to go.
Basically so Riaz's wife becamea stay-at-home mom and took
care of Lina, who was the oldestand then also a younger brother
of Lina's.
By summer of 2021, zarminabecame pregnant for the third
time with another beautiful babybrother for Lina, and Lina was
absolutely over the moon withexcitement because she loved
(06:33):
helping her mother take care ofher little brothers.
So, according to Unresolved,the same year that Lena's newest
baby brother was born, zarminadecided to travel with the
children back to Afghanistan tosee her parents, who were sick.
She wanted to make the tripbefore the Taliban took over
(06:54):
control of the government.
Riaz did not make this tripwith his family due to safety
reasons, according to thearticle and I'm not sure if it
was because he had previouslyfelt like he had a target on his
back due to the type ofmilitary work he performed, or
if there was some other reasonthat August, as US troops began
(07:17):
to withdraw from the country,thousands of people made their
way to the airport in Kabul inan attempt to gain access to one
of the last few planes out ofthe country.
During this time, a suicidebomber detonated a belt of
explosives outside the airport'sgates, killing over 100 Afghans
(07:37):
and 13 US soldiers.
Zamina, lina and her babybrother were among the crowds of
people fleeing from the chaos.
Lina was knocked unconsciousfrom the blast.
She was able to regainconsciousness quickly and the
family fled to a family member'shouse to escape.
They were later evacuated by USmilitary troops and brought
(08:00):
back home to reunite with Riazin San Antonio, and I think it's
pretty safe to say that Lenahad a childhood.
Unlike most kids, she was arefugee, and to experience the
horror that she experienced atthat airport in Kabul at only
three years old is absolutelydevastating.
(08:21):
Unfortunately, this was onlythe beginning for young Lena.
Lena was described by herfamily as being a typical
three-year-old girl who lovedbeing silly and enjoyed playing
with the other kids in herapartment complex.
She also loved helping hermother take care of her baby
brothers.
Playing with the other childrenat the playground located on
(08:41):
the grounds of their apartmentcomplex was an everyday thing
for Lena.
Monday, december 20th 2021, wasjust like any other day for Lena
and her family.
As usual, lena's mother tookher out to the apartment
complex's playground thatafternoon to run and play with
the other kids.
While Lena played, her mothersat with the other parents in
(09:03):
the main area of the playground.
Lena's mother was four monthspregnant at the time, and so
sometimes it was hard for her tokeep up with Lena and her
little brother while they played, often running at the time, and
so sometimes it was hard forher to keep up with Lena and her
little brother while theyplayed, often running around the
courtyard and apartmentbuildings that surrounded the
courtyard.
Around 5 pm, zarmina becameworried when she lost sight of
(09:24):
Lena.
It was reported that she wasrunning with a group of kids who
had run around one of theapartment buildings.
When the rest of the kids wereagain seen running on the other
side of the building, lena wasnot with them.
Trying not to panic, zarminathought that maybe Lena had gone
back to the family's apartment.
She grabbed her son and hurriedto her apartment, only to
(09:45):
discover that Lena was not thereby this time.
Zarmina was extremely worriedand she was hoping that maybe
Lena had gone to another closefriend of the family's and that
they would find her soon.
She called her husband, riaz,who was a short distance away,
to help with the search.
So Riaz raced home and together, along with several other
(10:07):
families, they searched theapartment complex for Lena.
But as the hours passed, withstill no sign of their precious
daughter, they searched theapartment complex for Lena, but
as the hours passed, with stillno sign of their precious
daughter, they became morepanicked.
So at around 7.15, they decidedto call the police and file a
missing persons report.
Police searched the entirepremises of the apartment
complex and at 10 pm an amberalert was issued.
(10:30):
The days that followed were longand the nights were even longer
.
Police scoured the apartmentcomplex and surrounding areas.
K-9 units were brought in andpolice went door to door in the
apartment complex looking foranyone who may have seen young
Lena.
They searched through people'scars and sifted through
(10:51):
dumpsters young Lena.
They searched through people'scars and sifted through
dumpsters.
They made note of license platenumbers of all the residents
within the apartment complex andinterviewed several of the
families, even going as far asto ask if they would be allowed
to search their apartment.
Authorities begin viewingsurveillance footage from nearby
businesses, as well as doorbellcameras from various
(11:12):
neighboring residents, and theytalked with other families who
had been at the playground thatday and made notes of anyone who
may have been described asacting suspicious.
In the days leading up to, aswell as on the day of Lena's
disappearance, search partieswere put together, as well as an
aerial search to scour thewooded area around the apartment
(11:34):
complex in the hopes of findingany sign of Lena.
Unfortunately, the searchesturned up nothing, and
authorities suspected from thebeginning that it was foul play.
However, they couldn't seem tofind any hard evidence to
suggest that it was to find anyhard evidence to suggest that it
(11:55):
was so.
Lena's parents were questionedthe day after Lena went missing.
They were extremely cooperativeand they were ruled out as
suspects pretty quickly.
So since this case isclassified as unsolved,
unfortunately that leaves usnothing else but to theorize
what may have happened tothree-year-old Lena.
Some believe that this was atargeted abduction, while others
(12:16):
speculate that this was a crimeof opportunity.
I think the fact that Lena'sfather had mentioned that he
felt that his family had atarget on their backs due to his
previous job in the militaryreally raises some red flags for
me.
There were no reports that Icould find of anything that
could have happened prior toLena's disappearance to make him
(12:37):
feel this way, and there was nomention of any particular
threats made.
However, something made himfeel that his family could be in
danger, and whether it was justthe general fact that his job
placed him in that position orit was something more specific
that happened as a result of hisjob, I don't know, but this
(12:59):
being a targeted act isdefinitely a possibility.
Now, on the other side of thatcomes the speculation that many
have that this was a crime ofopportunity.
Maybe Maybe someone had beenwatching the apartment complex,
or more specifically theplayground, and spotted Lena.
This could have been asituation where someone had been
(13:20):
watching this playground for awhile and had picked Lena out
with the intention of taking her.
Going to this playground wassomething that Lena and her
mother did pretty much every day, and when you do something
every day ritualistically, suchas this, you can easily become a
target.
That's why it's best to kind ofswitch up your routine every
(13:41):
now and then.
But I'm sure this family andmany others that lived in the
apartment complex felt very safeat this playground Because it
is where they live and becausethey are so close with so many
of the residents.
However, I don't think that theperson who took lena was
someone who lived there, andthat's just my that's solely my
opinion.
It could be that there wassomeone visiting someone else
(14:05):
who lived there, and maybe therewas someone who lena had before
, since there were no reports ofanyone hearing a child scream.
Or maybe this really was atargeted act as a result of
Lena's father's previousmilitary job.
It's really anyone's guess atthis point.
At one point during theinvestigation, a popular sketch
(14:25):
artist by the name of LoisGibson, with the Houston Police
Department, spoke directly witha witness who claimed to have
seen Lena walking with two menon the day of her disappearance.
The end result of Lois'ssketches were of a
dark-complected man of Afghandescent and one of a
lighter-complected man.
When shown these two sketches,lena's family recognized the
(14:50):
darker-complected man andbelieved that he had nothing to
do with.
Lena's family recognized thedarker complected man and
believed that he had nothing todo with Lena's disappearance.
They did not recognize thelighter complected man.
So on December 20th 2022, policereleased surveillance video of
Lena right before she wentmissing.
In the video, lena is seenplaying on the playground just
(15:10):
moments before she disappeared.
One of the residents of theapartment complex had a
surveillance camera thatcaptured those moments.
At one point during the video,lena walks out of view of the
camera.
That is the last anyone hasseen of her, and there were
reports that during thesurveillance footage, there was
(15:36):
a gap in the video between 4.49pm and 5.07 pm, and I find this
incredibly strange because thiswas during the time that Zemina
was frantically searching forLena.
I feel like this would havebeen right around the time that
whatever happened to Lena wasactually happening.
This would have been 11 minutesbefore Zemina realized that
Lena was out of her sight and 7minutes after she realized that
(15:59):
her baby girl was missing.
I feel like this time frame wasprobably the most crucial, and
there's a gap in the video.
I'm unsure if anyone has sincebeen able to explain that gap in
the footage.
However, if any of ourlisteners have found any reports
that I seem to overlook, pleaselet us know.
So, by January of 2022, theAmber Alert for Lena was
(16:24):
discontinued.
However, the investigationcontinued, which now included
help from the FBI.
In April of 2023, lena's father, reyes, took a polygraph test
from the FBI to once again clearhis name, and I think it was
more of the fact that he wantedto clear his name and show the
public that he had nothing to dowith Lena's disappearance, more
(16:47):
than he was doing it for thepolice, because he had already
been cleared as a suspect bypolice.
However, the family enduredmuch ridicule and victim blaming
from a lot of people out therethat felt that either they had
something to do with theirdaughter's disappearance or that
they were just being negligentFrom the beginning.
(17:08):
Lena's family has faced manystruggles during this
investigation.
One of those struggles wassimply the language barrier.
They struggled to convey theaccount of the events to the
police in the correct way.
And then they struggled againwhile trying to relay the events
of what happened that day tothe press.
Their native language is Pashtoand although they used an
(17:33):
interpreter to communicate withthe public, as well as the
police, they felt that much ofwhat they were trying to say was
being misconstrued.
This led to much criticism fromthe public towards Lena's
parents.
Some accused Lena's mother ofbeing careless and just letting
her three-year-old daughter runaround the apartment complex
unsupervised.
Then there were the theoriesthat Lena's mother being
careless and just letting herthree-year-old daughter run
(17:53):
around the apartment complexunsupervised.
Then there were the theoriesthat Lena's family actually set
up a deal to have her sold intosex trafficking.
Then online commenters beganstirring up theories as to why
only Ria's would appear inpublic to talk about Lena's
disappearance, speculating thatmaybe Lena's mother had
something to do with it, whenreally Zarmina chose not to make
(18:16):
public appearances because ofher own cultural and religious
beliefs.
And I think what people don'tunderstand is all this nonsense
of trying to come up withconspiracy theories and things
like that victim blaming reallyhurt the investigation.
And don't get me wrong, thereare situations where things like
(18:39):
this happen and I get that, butthis family was really
struggling and they were alreadydealing with the fact that
English was their secondlanguage and it didn't sound
like they.
They really spoke very greatEnglish.
So to have to deal with thatand to have to deal with the
grief they're already feeling oftheir daughter going missing
(19:01):
and they're trying to relayeverything to the police and the
press and everything like that,and then you have all these
people coming at them makingaccusations that are just
nonsense.
On February 14th 2024, an inmatein the Bexar County Jail led
authorities to a wooded area innorthwest San Antonio between
(19:24):
Auburn Creek and the HelixApartments, about a half a mile
from where Lena disappeared.
The inmate was in jail foraggravated sexual acts involving
a child who allegedly lived atthe same apartment complex as
Lena at the time of herdisappearance.
After an extensive search ofthe area, the inmate's tip was
(19:44):
proven to be non-credible andpolice believed he lied in order
to get more phone privileges,which is yet another crimp in
the investigation.
It really just takes a lot ofmanpower and a lot of time away
from the actual investigationwhat could be the actual
investigation, because nowyou've sent authorities off on a
(20:06):
wild goose chase just to getmore phone privileges.
Not that this inmate reallygave a crap what happened to
lena he was only out for himself, clearly but it just screws up
an investigation.
It takes time away from themreally following credible leads
and it's sad that they thatpeople do this, but they do so.
(20:28):
Over the years, lena's familyhas expressed much
disappointment with lawenforcement.
They feel that the San AntonioPolice Department has stopped
sharing any information withthem and that the only time they
hear about anything regardingLena's case is when they call
the SAPD themselves to check in,and that's usually whenever
(20:49):
they hear about news ontelevision of a trafficking
sting operation or something ofthat nature, with the hope that
maybe law enforcement foundsomething.
The family has been workingwith Eagles Flight Advocacy and
Outreach, a program thatorganizes searches and public
events.
They created an age progressionphoto on February 20, 2023 of
(21:12):
what Lena would look like at 5years old.
The sketch was released aroundher 5th birthday.
The Islamic Center of SanAntonio helped raise a $250,000
reward for info leading toLena's safe return turn.
(21:34):
The family has since raisedthat reward amount to $280,000,
most of which has been raised bythem.
As well as the Afghan communityin San Antonio, the FBI also
have been working with ProjectAbsentees, a local organization
led by a retired FBI agent, whobegan his own investigation of
the case.
During his investigation, heuncovered that a resident living
at the apartment complex thatLena and her family lived in had
(21:57):
been arrested in September 2022for possessing child sexual
abuse material with the intentto distribute.
It was reported that thisindividual was someone known to
Lena's family, but his name hasnot been made public and he has
not been charged in Lena's case,and this could be an excellent
lead, because that could explainwhy it was likely that whoever
(22:21):
she went with, she more thanlikely knew.
In March of 2024, the NationalCenter for Missing and Exploited
Children posted a new ageprogression photo of Lena that
shows what she would look likeat six years old.
Lena was just three years oldwhen she went missing.
She was four foot tall andweighed 55 pounds at the time of
(22:44):
her disappearance.
She has brown hair and browneyes, and her ears are pierced.
She was wearing a redlong-sleeved dress, a black
jacket, black shoes, blue andgold-toned plastic bangle
bracelets, gold earrings and ataweez around her neck, which is
(23:06):
actually an amulet with versesfrom the Quran.
She was born in Afghanistan andspeaks Pashto.
If you know anything regardingthe disappearance of Lena Sardar
Kill, please reach out to theSan Antonio Police Department at
area code 210-207-7660.
(23:29):
You can also contact SanAntonio Crime Stoppers at area
code 210-224-7867 or the FBI SanAntonio office at area code
210-225-6741.
(23:50):
And I will also post thesecontact numbers on our Facebook
page.
Thank you for listening toanother episode of Gone in a
Blink.
If you are interested in what'scoming up with season four here
in September, check out ourFacebook page.
And again, if you haven't heardall the episodes this far, go
back and listen to them all andget caught up.
(24:12):
And if you have an idea for ashow.
Also, please drop us an emailat gone in a blink pod at
gmailcom.
And, as always, we love it ifyou give us a five-star review
on apple podcast or on spotify,and we love when you follow us
on any of our social media sites, and you could follow us on
Facebook at gone in a blink, oron Instagram at gone in a blink
(24:36):
pod.
And last but certainly notleast, please remember, be safe,
be smart and try not to blink.
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