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5-year-old Kyle Doan was swept away in the raging floodwaters near San Miguel on January 9, 2023. Kindergartner has been missing since the same day the rising flood waters pulled him in. The search for the child began on Monday and was called off just 5 hours after that due to rough weather conditions.
According to a Tuesday press release by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, the search operations had to resume on Tuesday itself. However, it also mentions that the water level is high, and it is difficult for the rescuers to continue the operation.
The release also stated Kyle's description, as they described him as 4 ft tall and weighing around 52 pounds. Before he went missing, Kyle Doan had a black puffer jacket with a red liner. He also had on blue jeans, as well as blue and gray Nike tennis shoes.
Authorities revealed that the entire community of San Miguel is looking for a young Kyle Doan. Doan was with his mother, Lindsy, when the tragedy struck. The mother was reportedly saved by bystanders.
Meet a little girl with a big heart RIGHT HERE
A kindergartner named Kyle Doan gets pulled in by raging floodwaters in California while going to school with his mother
The tragic incident took place on January 9, 2023, near San Miguel, California, when a car was caught in raging floodwaters. The 5-year-old was in the car at the time with his mother. The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office identified the child as Kyle Doan. He was on the way to school with his mom, Lindsy Doan, in a car that got pulled into the waters at around 7.45 am local time.
Bystanders were successful in pulling Lindsy out of the vehicle. However, Kyle Doan could not be saved then, and he began to go downstream. Authorities believe that he may have drifted towards a nearby river. When the tragic incident took place, there were no road closures in the area.
PEOPLE reported that Kyle Doan’s mother works at Lilian Larsen Elementary School as a teacher. The same has been confirmed by San Miguel Joint Union School District Superintendent Karen Grandoli. Karen stated the PEOPLE and said:
“San Miguel is a small, very close-knit community and everyone has the family in their thoughts and prayers during this unfathomable tragedy. The family and others are continuing to search for him in hopes that he might be found.”
Grandoli further added:
“The staff at Lillian Larsen has begun organizing support for the family. We are determining what their immediate needs will be at this time.”
She also told PEOPLE that the school has launched a crisis team that consists of counselors on campus to provide aid and support to students and staff whenever the school reopens. Grandoli added that the school is likely to open on Wednesday.
Authorities mentioned that the family is still looking for Kyle Doan and are praying for his safe return. Firefighters have recovered one of Kyle’s shoes. However, they haven’t located the kid yet.
Tuesday's press release stated:
“A break in the intense storms is allowing today’s search which will involve all available resources of the Sheriff’s Office including the USAR (Underwater Search and Rescue) Team and air operations.”
It continued:
“The public is strongly cautioned not to conduct self-initiated searches and put themselves in harm's way and become a victim, requiring resources that would otherwise be used for searching.”
Cops showed concerns and said that the water level is still quite high and continues “to be fast-moving.”
In an interview with NBC LA, Lindsy said,
“The currents were so strong when I tried to hold his hand, my hand wrapped around the tree and the current pulled him away from me.”
Frequent strong storms and cold weather conditions have been impacting several Californians for days now
Tony Cipolla, the spokesperson for the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office told PEOPLE,
“We assisted in the search for the child [Kyle Doan]. We called out the sheriff’s dive team to assist with the search and they searched for multiple hours without locating the child.”
Cipolla further added,
“Around 3:00 Pacific time, they discontinued the search because the extreme weather was too unpredictable and it was endangering the first responders' lives. They made the decision to discontinue it. Hopefully, there will be a break in the weather and they can resume the search for this child.”
Millions of Californians are heavily impacted by severe, regular storms. Violent winds are accompanied by cold weather conditions. On Monday, maximum areas in California faced severe weather advisories. Authorities mentioned that the winds could gust up to around 65 mph. In such extreme conditions, the search for Kyle Doan intensifies with time.
A few days back, on January 4, a toddler named Aeon Tocchini died after a giant redwood tree fell on his family home as a result of a violent storm in Sonoma County, California. The kid was at home along with his father. Fortunately, the father survived, while the kid could not make it.
