August 23, 2025 • 9 mins
On this episode of Beyond the Silence: Whispers Across America, we revisit one of the most unsettling disappearances in recent history—the case of Kyron Horman. Just seven years old, Kyron walked into Skyline Elementary one Friday morning, excited to show off his project at the school science fair. By the end of the day, he was gone—and the largest search effort in Oregon’s history was underway. From the shifting focus on his stepmother, to unanswered questions in the timeline, to the relentless fight of his mother and community, this case reveals how a single morning can fracture lives and leave a city searching for answers. Fifteen years later, the mystery is still alive—and so is the hope for justice.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Seven year old Kirene Horman walked into Skyline Elementary on
a Friday morning and was never seen again. In a
matter of hours, a school turned into a crime scene
and a city into a search grid. Welcome to Beyond
the Silence whispers across America. I'm Sammy, your host, driven
(00:22):
to shine light on the dark corners of forgotten cases,
demand justice, and keep alive the voices the world has
tried to silence. Today we uncover the haunting story of
vanished at the science Fair, the Kiran Hormon mystery, this case,
this moment, this is why I started Beyond the Silence.
(00:46):
Let's go back to the morning of June four, twenty ten,
a day that started out with a little boy and
a trifold poster about red tree frogs. Seven year old
Chiren Horman woke up in Portland Organ, put on his
oversized CSI shirt, those big glasses, nearly swallowing his face,
all excited to show off his science project at Skyline
(01:09):
Elementary's fair. His stepmom, Terry Horman, took him early that morning.
She borrowed Kyen's dad's truck just to haul that poster home. Now,
if you've seen the last photo of Kyroen. Maybe you
have It's up on Facebook and all the new sites.
You know, he's got that huge smile standing in front
of his trifle, totally in his world. At eight fifteen am,
(01:34):
PTA President Gina Zimmerman actually saw them at the science fair.
Then at eight forty five, Terry watches Kieran walk towards
his classroom. After that the timeline starts to blur. A
student later spots Kien by the south entrance at nine am,
but after that nothing. By ten am, Kyen is marked absent.
(01:58):
That's when the panic starts to rin out. When a
second grader is missing at a school, the rules change
in an instant. When Kirne didn't show up to get
off the school bus, Terry and Kyron's dad, Caney, rushed
to the school. The secretary called nine one one at
three forty six pm. Just total chaos, everyone hoping there's
(02:20):
some simple explanation like maybe he's at a friend's house
or hiding in the building. By that evening, the entire
city feels on alert. Soon the Moltnomah County Sheriff's Office
brings in the FBI, volunteers, flood in the National Guard,
search and rescue teams over one thousand, three hundred people, billboards, flyers,
(02:44):
the whole nine, The press converges. The search radius is
two miles, then six, Then it's Sauvie Island a few
miles away, and uh, it is just there's this early
day's energy, right, that tension between desperate hope we're going
to find him, hiding somewhere, he's got to be close,
(03:06):
and the icy fear that something darker is unfolding right
under everyone's nose. You want to know something. Covering cases
like this, you learn quick how hard it is to
balance urgency and hope. You want to believe in the miracle.
But as night falls, and with every passing hour without news,
the whole atmosphere changes. It's almost like the walls start
(03:28):
closing in on everyone. That's what happened in Portland. The
investigation shifted from a missing child to a criminal one
by June thirteenth, just days after Kiron vanished. And for
the community, that's when bewilderment gave way to that deep,
gnawing uncertainty, the kind that stays with you years later.
(03:50):
After that first week, well things just got stranger. The
focus almost right away tightened around Terry Horman, Kyen's stepmom,
her timeline gaps, failed polygraphs, and this weird detail. A
landscaper comes forward and says Terry tried to hire him
for a murder for higher plot against Kane, Kiren's dad,
(04:12):
months before Kiren even vanished. That shakes up the whole dynamic, right.
Suddenly it's not just grief, it's suspicion. Their marriage falls
apart in a matter of days. Restraining orders get filed,
and soon Terry's out of the family home. She's only
allowed to contact her own daughter by letter, and she's
(04:33):
banned from Skyline Elementary and look, the legal saga just snowballs.
There are custody battles and cane files for divorce. Terry,
her reputation in Shreds, fails polygraph tests twice, then refuses
to take a third desire young Kiren's mom. She's unwavering.
(04:53):
In interviews. She says she's certain Terry is responsible, that
Terry's actions before and after the day appearance just don't
add up. Polygraphs, missing windows of time, electronic evidence. None
of it amounts to a formal charge, but the shadow
is there. Oh and let's not forget the friends today
(05:14):
spitch her. For example, she was gardening in the West
Hills near the school that morning, then her whereabouts go
fuzzy for nearly ninety minutes, which for a case this scrutinized,
just fueled more whispers. Police even said did helped Terry
by a burner phone at one point. There's this whole
(05:37):
undercurrent of friendship, loyalty, and secrecy that makes the investigation
so messy. Over time, public opinions split wide open. Some
saw Terry as a scapegoat, others saw her as the
only logical suspect. Family members, community members, Everyone starts theorizing,
and then later on even the online true crime community
(06:01):
started entertaining new possibilities, like maybe Kirene was lured off
school property by a stranger that theories recent a person.
Maybe someone at the fair convinces Chyen to follow them,
promising to show him frogs or something. No physical evidence
for that, but it's one of those what ifs that
(06:23):
just won't die, especially when law enforcement starts running out
of leads. I get it, cases like this, they become
a kind of mirror for all our anxieties, and every
unknown becomes an ambass of obsession. So here we are
twenty twenty five, fifteen years since Chyen walked into Skyline
(06:44):
Elementary and disappeared. No arrests, no confirmed evidence, but the
story it's still very much alive, partly because the people
who loved Kuran simply refuse to let it go cold.
Siree Young, Kiran's mother has spent years fundraising, raising money,
(07:05):
organizing searches, keeping Chiron's face on billboards. She's pushed for
the newest age progressed photos, public events, vigils. She even
helps run a dedicated tip website. On the tenth anniversary,
the community held balloon releases. By the fifteenth, they're still
holding candlelight vigils outside Skyline, still asking questions no parents
(07:31):
should have to ask. But let's talk about law enforcement. Now,
there's a renewed sense of urgency under the new District
Attorney Nathan Vasquez. And yeah, advances in digital forensics. Case
files are being digitized. The FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit is
reviewing all the records with fresh eyes. They're using new
(07:53):
technology to sort through tips, to comb through thousands, literally
thousands of pages and pieces of VS evidence. Maybe, just
maybe that finally gives this story a chance at a
real turn. I want you to picture this after fifteen years,
Families still gathering for vigils at the school, standing shoulder
(08:14):
to shoulder, some holding photos of a little boy who
would now be in his twenties. There's a fifty thousand
dollars reward for new information. There are investigators pushing on,
and there's still media coverage, new specials, true crime festivals,
and yeah, podcasts like this one keeping Kirene's story in
(08:34):
the light. That emotional endurance. It's rare and it's powerful.
Kiren's family, in his community, they're not giving up, not now,
not ever. That's it for today's episode. The questions remain
and the search continues, because every last soul deserves answers,
and every story deserves to be heard. What are your thoughts?
(08:57):
What do you believe happened? Your voice? Because sometimes the
smallest detail can spark the biggest breakthrough. I'm Sammy, and
this is beyond the silence whispers across America. Thank you
for listening, Stay safe, and I'll see you next time.
Seven year old Kirene Horman walked into Skyline Elementary on
a Friday morning and was never seen again. In a
matter of hours, a school turned into a crime scene
and a city into a search grid. Welcome to Beyond
the Silence whispers across America. I'm Sammy, your host, driven
(00:22):
to shine light on the dark corners of forgotten cases,
demand justice, and keep alive the voices the world has
tried to silence. Today we uncover the haunting story of
vanished at the science Fair, the Kiran Hormon mystery, this case,
this moment, this is why I started Beyond the Silence.
(00:46):
Let's go back to the morning of June four, twenty ten,
a day that started out with a little boy and
a trifold poster about red tree frogs. Seven year old
Chiren Horman woke up in Portland Organ, put on his
oversized CSI shirt, those big glasses, nearly swallowing his face,
all excited to show off his science project at Skyline
(01:09):
Elementary's fair. His stepmom, Terry Horman, took him early that morning.
She borrowed Kyen's dad's truck just to haul that poster home. Now,
if you've seen the last photo of Kyroen. Maybe you
have It's up on Facebook and all the new sites.
You know, he's got that huge smile standing in front
of his trifle, totally in his world. At eight fifteen am,
(01:34):
PTA President Gina Zimmerman actually saw them at the science fair.
Then at eight forty five, Terry watches Kieran walk towards
his classroom. After that the timeline starts to blur. A
student later spots Kien by the south entrance at nine am,
but after that nothing. By ten am, Kyen is marked absent.
(01:58):
That's when the panic starts to rin out. When a
second grader is missing at a school, the rules change
in an instant. When Kirne didn't show up to get
off the school bus, Terry and Kyron's dad, Caney, rushed
to the school. The secretary called nine one one at
three forty six pm. Just total chaos, everyone hoping there's
(02:20):
some simple explanation like maybe he's at a friend's house
or hiding in the building. By that evening, the entire
city feels on alert. Soon the Moltnomah County Sheriff's Office
brings in the FBI, volunteers, flood in the National Guard,
search and rescue teams over one thousand, three hundred people, billboards, flyers,
(02:44):
the whole nine, The press converges. The search radius is
two miles, then six, Then it's Sauvie Island a few
miles away, and uh, it is just there's this early
day's energy, right, that tension between desperate hope we're going
to find him, hiding somewhere, he's got to be close,
(03:06):
and the icy fear that something darker is unfolding right
under everyone's nose. You want to know something. Covering cases
like this, you learn quick how hard it is to
balance urgency and hope. You want to believe in the miracle.
But as night falls, and with every passing hour without news,
the whole atmosphere changes. It's almost like the walls start
(03:28):
closing in on everyone. That's what happened in Portland. The
investigation shifted from a missing child to a criminal one
by June thirteenth, just days after Kiron vanished. And for
the community, that's when bewilderment gave way to that deep,
gnawing uncertainty, the kind that stays with you years later.
(03:50):
After that first week, well things just got stranger. The
focus almost right away tightened around Terry Horman, Kyen's stepmom,
her timeline gaps, failed polygraphs, and this weird detail. A
landscaper comes forward and says Terry tried to hire him
for a murder for higher plot against Kane, Kiren's dad,
(04:12):
months before Kiren even vanished. That shakes up the whole dynamic, right.
Suddenly it's not just grief, it's suspicion. Their marriage falls
apart in a matter of days. Restraining orders get filed,
and soon Terry's out of the family home. She's only
allowed to contact her own daughter by letter, and she's
(04:33):
banned from Skyline Elementary and look, the legal saga just snowballs.
There are custody battles and cane files for divorce. Terry,
her reputation in Shreds, fails polygraph tests twice, then refuses
to take a third desire young Kiren's mom. She's unwavering.
(04:53):
In interviews. She says she's certain Terry is responsible, that
Terry's actions before and after the day appearance just don't
add up. Polygraphs, missing windows of time, electronic evidence. None
of it amounts to a formal charge, but the shadow
is there. Oh and let's not forget the friends today
(05:14):
spitch her. For example, she was gardening in the West
Hills near the school that morning, then her whereabouts go
fuzzy for nearly ninety minutes, which for a case this scrutinized,
just fueled more whispers. Police even said did helped Terry
by a burner phone at one point. There's this whole
(05:37):
undercurrent of friendship, loyalty, and secrecy that makes the investigation
so messy. Over time, public opinions split wide open. Some
saw Terry as a scapegoat, others saw her as the
only logical suspect. Family members, community members, Everyone starts theorizing,
and then later on even the online true crime community
(06:01):
started entertaining new possibilities, like maybe Kirene was lured off
school property by a stranger that theories recent a person.
Maybe someone at the fair convinces Chyen to follow them,
promising to show him frogs or something. No physical evidence
for that, but it's one of those what ifs that
(06:23):
just won't die, especially when law enforcement starts running out
of leads. I get it, cases like this, they become
a kind of mirror for all our anxieties, and every
unknown becomes an ambass of obsession. So here we are
twenty twenty five, fifteen years since Chyen walked into Skyline
(06:44):
Elementary and disappeared. No arrests, no confirmed evidence, but the
story it's still very much alive, partly because the people
who loved Kuran simply refuse to let it go cold.
Siree Young, Kiran's mother has spent years fundraising, raising money,
(07:05):
organizing searches, keeping Chiron's face on billboards. She's pushed for
the newest age progressed photos, public events, vigils. She even
helps run a dedicated tip website. On the tenth anniversary,
the community held balloon releases. By the fifteenth, they're still
holding candlelight vigils outside Skyline, still asking questions no parents
(07:31):
should have to ask. But let's talk about law enforcement. Now,
there's a renewed sense of urgency under the new District
Attorney Nathan Vasquez. And yeah, advances in digital forensics. Case
files are being digitized. The FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit is
reviewing all the records with fresh eyes. They're using new
(07:53):
technology to sort through tips, to comb through thousands, literally
thousands of pages and pieces of VS evidence. Maybe, just
maybe that finally gives this story a chance at a
real turn. I want you to picture this after fifteen years,
Families still gathering for vigils at the school, standing shoulder
(08:14):
to shoulder, some holding photos of a little boy who
would now be in his twenties. There's a fifty thousand
dollars reward for new information. There are investigators pushing on,
and there's still media coverage, new specials, true crime festivals,
and yeah, podcasts like this one keeping Kirene's story in
(08:34):
the light. That emotional endurance. It's rare and it's powerful.
Kiren's family, in his community, they're not giving up, not now,
not ever. That's it for today's episode. The questions remain
and the search continues, because every last soul deserves answers,
and every story deserves to be heard. What are your thoughts?
(08:57):
What do you believe happened? Your voice? Because sometimes the
smallest detail can spark the biggest breakthrough. I'm Sammy, and
this is beyond the silence whispers across America. Thank you
for listening, Stay safe, and I'll see you next time.
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