SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police said a tip that had them searching a woody area on the Northwest Side for missing girl Lina Khil was not credible.
Police ended their two-day search alongside the FBI on Friday after following up on a potential lead about the property located behind apartment complexes near Interstate 10 and Wurzbach Road. SAPD said they had “exhausted all resources” and determined the tip was not credible.
“There are no further updates on this active missing person’s case. SAPD will continue to follow up thoroughly on every tip received, as we continue the search for Lina Khil,” said SAPD Public Information Officer Ricardo Guzman. “SAPD still encourages anyone with any information that might lead us to finding Lina Khil, to come forward and contact our Special Victim’s Unit at 210-207-2313.”
Abel Peña, a retired FBI agent, said he’s working with the Khil family to track Lina down as part of his agency, Project Abstentis.
“I think SAPD, the FBI— they follow up on every lead,” he said. “This is just an example of what they’re doing.”
Peña said while the tip wasn’t credible, it could help SAPD generate more.
“We’re just hopeful that somebody is looking at those videos, someone know maybe the story of what happened to Lina and maybe it’ll encourage people to be brave,” he said.
Guzman said despite nothing coming from Friday’s search, there is no reason to lose hope.
BELOW: Drone video shows search in wooded area in connection with missing girl Lina Khil
Guzman said investigators were looking for evidence in the case. Pamela Allen, a local child advocate and family liaison, told KSAT that officers were searching for a body.
On Thursday, investigators were seen with shovels and dogs about 500 yards away from where Khil was seen more than two years ago. Allen, Guzman and neighbors all said the area had been searched before.
Guzman said they received the tip early Thursday while Allen said it came in on Wednesday night. A resident at some nearby townhomes also told KSAT they saw officers at the greenway on Wednesday night with someone wearing what appeared to be an inmate jumpsuit.
The “young fella” was with some type of law enforcement officers, Pancho Martinez said. At the time, Martinez figured they had caught an escaped Bexar County Jail inmate.
“Did not know until now what it was,” he said Thursday.
Khil’s father, Riaz Sardar Khil, was at the scene along with Allen on Thursday and Friday.
On Friday morning, Allen said authorities were using equipment to help them see under the ground. The equipment arrived on Friday morning.
“They are looking for a body,” Allen said on Thursday.
Guzman said earlier on Thursday that he didn’t know exactly what the tip was, but “the tip could be resulted in finding Lina Khil.”
“We’re trying to figure out if that’s a legitimate tip. Is this a good tip? Is it not? And we’re going to be out here until we’re confident and we’ll figure out which one it is,” the SAPD spokesman said.
Khil was three years old when she was reported missing on Dec. 20, 2021. She was last seen at a playground at the Villas Del Cabo apartment complex in the 9400 block of Fredericksburg Road, less than a half-mile away from Thursday’s scene. Her mother was nearby, just out of sight.
Crime scene investigators were searching a wooded area near apartment complexes at Wurzbach and Bluemel roads. This particular area has been searched before, Guzman said, but it’s “possibly a new lead that we could follow up on.”
Several SAPD units as well as a mobile crime unit were also at the scene.
Guzman did not specify the number of personnel at the scene or the size of the search.
Khil would be six years old on Feb. 20.
Search follows meeting between family, SAPD
Allen, a local child advocate who has been a liaison for the family after her disappearance, told KSAT that she was present at a meeting Wednesday evening between SAPD and Khil’s father.
The two-hour-long meeting preceded the search at the apartment complex.
Allen also posted about the meeting on Facebook Wednesday night.
“Today was a long, informative meeting with SAPD and FBI. The meeting encompassed information on behalf of the missing young girl from Afghanistan, Lina Sardar Khil who was abducted here in San Antonio. It was intense and still heart wrenching. Bottom line, we are not any closer to Lina’s discovery. As I sat next to Riaz, his frustration could be felt. There are just so many emotions that go through this families’ hearts. Unbelievable how one family could possess the courage that they have walking into each day without their child,” she wrote.
While speaking with reporters on Thursday, Allen said Riaz Khil is “very frustrated.”
“The family is very saddened by the fact that she has been missing for two years,” Allen said.
What we know about the search for Khil
Despite months of searches, rewards offered and national attention, investigators are still looking for clues to find her.
In December 2022, police released new footage of Khil at the playground on the day she disappeared.
An age progression sketch released last year shows what she may look like now. Also in 2023, Riaz Khil took a polygraph test in an effort to clear his name.
SAPD is still treating the girl’s disappearance as an active missing persons case and not an abduction.
Police Chief William McManus previously told KSAT there’s no video or evidence to suggest Khil was abducted.
On Thursday, Guzman said they have conducted multiple searches based on tips but did not say just exactly how many. He said not every tip is broadcast to the public, as it could hurt the investigation and cause false hope for the family.
“This is still a family matter. This is still personal to them. So no, we’re not broadcasting every single thing that we receive,” Guzman said. “Again, in this case, it’s just a public area, and that’s what we’re out here right now.”
In an email to KSAT on Thursday, the FBI said agents are continuing to work with SAPD on the case and following up “on every tip.”
“We have not forgotten Lina, and our hearts go out to her family and friends,” the statement continued.
Anyone with information is asked to contact SAPD at 210-224-7867 or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $55,000 for information resulting in the arrest or indictment of a suspect accused of any involvement in her disappearance.