Lina Sardar Khil

On the afternoon of December 20, 2021, three-year-old Lina Sardar Khil was playing with other kids just outside of her family’s apartment in San Antonio, Texas. Her mother took her eyes off of Lina for “a short time,” and the little girl disappeared. In the time since, no single trace of Lina has been found…

In December of 2021, the world was worried about the spread of a new COVID-19 variant. On the borders of Ukraine, the Russian army would begin mobilizing forces ahead of their invasion weeks later. In Germany, Olaf Scholz replaced Angela Merkel as the nation's Chancellor. Here in America, a rare string of tornadoes would tear through four states, destroying towns and leaving at least 70 dead.

While the rest of the world was preoccupied, a tragic story was unfolding in San Antonio, Texas. A three-year-old girl disappeared from just outside of her home and hasn't been seen since.

This is the story of Lina Sardar Khil.

Lina Sardar Khil was born in Afghanistan to her parents, Riaz and Zarmeena Sardar Khil, in the Khost province. Her grandfather was an Afghan military commander that was killed by a suicide bomber in 2009, and her father, Riaz, had followed in his father's footsteps by serving in Afghanistan's armed forces between 2013 and 2019. There, he worked alongside U.S. troops and served as a team leader for the nation's security forces, a job he has described as primarily a desk job involving a lot of paperwork - but one that put a target on his and his family's back.

In 2019, the Sardar Khil family would obtain visas and relocate from their home nation, Afghanistan, to the United States. Riaz Sardar Khil would later tell KENS-5, a CBS affiliate in the San Antonio region, that the family fled from "threats that were posed to us." As reported by KENS-5 and some other outlets, Riaz had received specific threats from the Taliban, who were poised to regain power at the time his family and he legally emigrated to the United States.

Settling upon the San Antonio region of Texas, the Sardar Khil family moved into an apartment complex along the 9400 block of Fredericksburg Road in San Antonio, located in the Medical Center part of town. There, the three lived in the Villas Del Cabo apartments, not too far away from where Interstate 10 and Northwest Loop 410 intersect in northwest San Antonio. This was a neighborhood settled by more than a thousand Afghan refugees over several years, who had developed a close-knit community since relocating to the U.S. Many had fled violence in their home country. Riaz, a native Pashtun speaker, would later tell the San Antonio Express-News through a translator:

"We came from a horrible place with the hope of a better life."

Beginning work as a driver for Uber and Lyft, Riaz began driving trucks to support his family, while his wife, Zarmeena, became a stay-at-home wife for their eldest, Lina, as well as their second child, a little boy. By the summer of 2021, she'd become pregant with the couple's third child, another boy. The family was still getting used to their new home in America, but would make one final trip back over to Afghanistan that year. Riaz, for safety reasons, did not go, but Zarmeena would take the children to see her sick parents in Afghanistan before the Taliban seized control of the local government.

That August, the U.S. began to suddenly withdraw from Afghanistan, living up to an agreement made by U.S. President Donald Trump the year beforehand. But as this sudden withdrawal took place, thousands flocked to the airport in Kabul, where they attempted to gain passage on one of the final planes out of the country. Zarmeena, Lina, and Lina's baby brother were among them when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt just outside the airport's gates, killing more than a hundred Afghans and thirteen U.S. soldiers.

Lina was among those wounded, knocked unconscious by the blast that had killed or wounded hundreds. But thankfully, she was able to quickly regain consciousness, and fled with her mother and brother to a family member's home nearby. They were later evacuated by U.S. officials shortly thereafter, reunited with Riaz back in Texas.

Despite the close call with tragedy the Sardar Khil family faced that August, things soon returned to relative normalcy in San Antonio. Lina, just three years old, was beginning to grow into her personality, with her family describing her as a goofy, silly kid that enjoyed to play, watch YouTube videos, and help take care of her younger brother. She also enjoyed playing with the other kids that lived in her apartment complex, something she'd do almost every single day.

On the afternoon of Monday, December 20, 2021, three-year-old Lina was taken outside by her mother to the apartment complex's courtyard playground, where numerous other families were out and about. This was a nearly-daily occurrence for the family: Lina would join the other kids running and goofing around while her mother, Zarmeena, sat in the central common area with the other caretakers (many of whom were mothers and others from the local Afghan community). Four months pregnant at the time, Zarmeena would try and keep an eye on Lina and her little brother as they milled about the small playground, usually running around the courtyard and the various apartment buildings.

At around 5:00 PM, Zarmeena would lose sight of Lina for a short period of time. Early reports would claim that she went back into the family's apartment for a bottle of water, but later reports would claim that Lina was running around with kids and ran around a nearby building, just out of sight. However, when the rest of the kids showed up on the other side of the building, Lina was no longer with them. It's hard to tell what of this is due to the language barrier, with the Sardar Khil speaking Pashtun. Regardless, the official police report would later state that at around 5:40 PM, Lina's mother:

"... took her eyes off [Lina] for a short period of time and was unable to find her again."

When Lina failed to materialize, Zarmeena assumed that she had gone back to the family's apartment and would search for her there. Unable to find her, she had to hope that Lina had gone to the home of another Afghan family, and would contact her husband, Riaz Sardar Khil, to help her find their daughter. Riaz was about a mile away at the time, visiting with a friend, and raced home to help search for Lina. But as minutes passed without being able to locate her, they began to fear the worst. Riaz would later tell the San Antonio Express-News through a translator:

"When nobody called and said, 'I have Lina,' then I thought that someone must have abducted or kidnapped her."

The family would call police at around 7:15 PM, a little more than an hour-and-a-half after Lina had gone missing from outside the apartment complex. Police would arrive and begin searching the entire complex that evening, doing so for the next few days afterward. An Amber Alert was issued for Lina at around 10:00 PM, informing the public of Lina's description as well as the location where she'd disappeared from, right off of Fredericksburg Road. In that Amber Alert, authorities were unable to state that Lina had been abducted but believed that she was in grave or immediate danger.

Estimates put three-year-old Lina at roughly 4'0" tall and weighing approximately 55 pounds, with straight, shoulder-length brown hair that was in a ponytail at the time of her disappearance. She'd been dressed in a recognizeable red dress along with a black jacket and black shoes.

Here is Detective Jeremy Volz, the lead detective in the case, from a video posted by the San Antonio Police Department.

In the days ahead, the SAPD would lead the charge in trying to locate the missing three-year-old, expanding their search out from the apartment complex itself into the surrounding area, deploying K9 teams to try and locate Lina's scent. They'd go door-to-door in the apartment complex, searching for any sign of her in closets, cars, and dumpsters. Police could be seen writing down the license plate numbers of residents and others in the region, as well as searching for surveillance videos from local businesses and even doorbell cameras from residents.

Authorities would treat this as a missing persons case with several persons of interest, but were unable to find any specific signs of foul play. That would lead to some discrepancies about whether or not they believed this to be an abduction, but we'll touch on that some more in a bit.

Early on, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus was a regular presence in this case, speaking to the media and public on multiple occasions. Early on, he'd tell local CBS affiliate KENS-5:

"The beginning hours, the beginning moments of her going missing... I mean, we started fast. We had resources on the scene from the Federal Bureau of Investigations. We checked everywhere. We checked dumpsters, we checked closets. We searched every single apartment in the complex, some more than once. We had cadavar dogs going through that apartment complex."

The day after Lina's disappearance - Tuesday, December 21st - her parents were questioned by detectives. Meanwhile, officers continued to search through the area surrounding the complex, interviewing residents coming and going. Many were asked if they'd be willing to let officers search their homes and vehicles, and were asked to provide an alibi for their whereabouts the prior afternoon and evening. Families that had been at the playground that Monday afternoon were asked to describe anything and anyone they had seen near the apartment complex that day.

Search parties were organized to prowl through the wooded area near the apartment complex, and a helicopter would scan things from above. Unfortunately, though, authorities and volunteers were unable to locate any trace of the missing girl, with San Antonio Police Chief William McManus admitting two days after Lina's disappearance:

"The long(er) the time elapses, the less hopeful we become."

Chief McManus would request the FBI's help, asking them to deploy their child abduction rapid response team to help aid in Lina's recovery.

Meanwhile, Lina's father Riaz would become the family's point person in the media, speaking to them on multiple occasions (always accompanied with a translator, because he is a native Pashto speaker with a rough understanding of English). In one of his first interviews, he breaks down in tears when asked what he missed most about Lina. As someone with a daughter the same age, I found this really hard to watch, and I can't even imagine what he and his family have had to endure.

Thankfully, the community the Sardar Khil family had settled into was there to help support them during this difficult time, providing Riaz and his wife with resources they might not have had otherwise. Through this support network, they were able to establish a reward fund for information leading authorities to Lina, which started out at $75,000 but quickly grew, combined with a $50,000 reward offered up by Crime Stoppers of San Antonio. This reward would eventually grow to over $250,000, primarily due to money offered up by the Islamic Center of San Antonio.

On December 28th, 2021, Chief McManus would speak to the press alongside Justin Garris, the acting special agent in charge of the San Antonio Field Office of the FBI. Together, they'd outline the current status of their investigation.

One of the issues that has plagued this story is the discrepancy that exists between cases involving missing persons and abductions. While it may seem that there's a minute difference between the two, it's one of those details that changes how an entire investigation is run.

From the beginning, authorities seemed to believe that Lina Sardar Khil was in danger. Hence, them stating as much in the original Amber Alert (that she was in "grave" or "immediate danger"). But as their search began to spread out from the apartment complex, officers were unable to find any evidence of foul play; meaning that they couldn't find any direct evidence of Lina having been physically abducted. Rather, it was as if she had simply disappeared into thin air.

As you heard from the press conference audio just a few moments ago, there was an eighteen minute gap in the surveillance footage that authorities could not account for, and based on what they found, they were unable to state definitively that Lina was abducted during this time. This seemingly left the door open to her having disappeared through other means, perhaps wondering off into the woods or something like that.

However, it seems like in not choosing to label Lina's disappearance specifically as an abduction, police were able to use more resources to aid in their case. At least, that's what Chief McManus would tell KSAT-5 in 2022, telling them that he had the Missing Persons Unit working on it alongside the Special Victims Unit. As he explained, both units were collaborating with the FBI, with the SVU doing a lot of the ground work and the Missing Persons Unit coordinating the efforts. Yet, it seems like this hybrid approach wasn't any more successful than a regular investigation, with Chief McManus telling KSAT-5 in that same interview:

"... it's baffling. I've never come across a case where someone just vanished. And we have no clue, no reports of where she might be or what might have happened to her. I've not come across a case like that."

While there remains no specific evidence that Lina Sardar Khil was abducted, that remains the prevailing theory in the case. It also seems like the only plausible explanation, with it not being likely that she disappeared in the small patches of nearby woods or fell prey to a natural predator or anything like that. In San Antonio, the only real "predator" are coyotes, who aren't usually seen in large numbers in that part of town (and would have left behind a lot of physical proof of being there). And considering it was a day with no precipitation, it wasn't like she got swept into a storm drain or anything like that.

However, while abduction remains the prevaling theory in this case, there exists different theories. Some believe that Lina's abduction was likely targeted, while others think this may have been a random act carried out by someone with no prior connection to Lina or her family.

Those that believe her abduction was targeted point out that she would have been more likely to go with someone known to her or her loved ones; someone that she was previously familiar with. Abel Pena, a retired FBI agent that runs Project Absentis, a San Antonio-based missing persons advocacy group, told KENS-5:

"I think what we determined is that she did leave voluntarily. She walked away with individuals. But, we don't know after that what happened. There were witnesses that saw her, you know, walking with various people throughout the day. I think she walked off with perhaps individuals she knew or at least familiar with, but there was no indication she was forced or taken away."

Pena, who got involved with the case through Project Absentis, helped coordinate the drawing of two sketches by Lois Gibson, a renowed artist with the Houston Police Department, who spoke directly with a witness that claimed to see Lina walking alongside two men the afternoon of her disappearance. These sketches have been described as being a dark-skinned man as well as a lighter-skinned man of Afghan complexion. When shown these sketches, Lina's family claimed to recognize the Afghan man, but believed that he had nothing to do with the disappearance; however, they were unable to identify the dark-skinned man.

While this seems to point to there being evidence of a targeted abduction, others continue to believe that Lina's disappearance might have been a random, spontaneous act. They cling to this theory because those type of abductions are generally harder to solve, because there is no specific connection tying the abductor to the victim. This is exacerbated when there are no witnesses to the crime, as was the case here. No one seemed to see anyone take Lina away from the apartment complex, so it remains a possibility that someone was sitting in the parking lot that Lina ran through with the other kids, and simply waited for the other kids to leave before taking advantage of the situation.

The Amber Alert for Lina Sardar Khil was discontinued in early January 2022, but the missing persons investigation itself would persevere, spearheaded by the SAPD who received continued cooperation from the FBI.

That month, just a couple of weeks after Lina's disappearance, San Antonio police were seen with an elite FBI dive team, the Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team, at a creek near the apartment complex. This was less than two miles from where Lina had gone missing from, but even then, authorities cautioned against anyone jumping to conclusions, with Chief McManus telling reporters:

"I wish I could be more uplifting. I know this looks like we're really onto something. But all we're doing here is following up."

The dive search conducted by the FBI would conclude "without any conclusive findings," resulting in investigators broadening "the grid" in the search for three-year-old Lina, whose fourth birthday was quickly approaching that February.

Police would continue to appeal to the public, asking for anyone with potential information to come forward, no matter how big or small the information seemed. They continued to emphasize the gap in the surveillance footage, which took place between 4:49 and 5:07 PM on December 20, 2021, and an SAPD spokesperson would tell ABC News:

"Our Missing Person's Unit is working tirelessly at receiving leads and tips on little Lina's case. We will continue to follow every lead, no matter how small, until Lina is located."

Sadly, Lina and her family have had to endure many rumors and theories that, quite frankly, are based in little more than racism. While I hate to put such an absolute label on them, it's hard not to.

From the beginning of this cae, the Khil family struggled to convey their account to the public due to the language barrier. As native Pashto speakers, they were unable to convey things properly to the press, speaking through various translators, who at times, seemed to have their own troubles communicating things in English. This led to the early widespread belief that Lina's mother, Zarmeena, just let the three-year-old run around the apartment complex unsupervised. Then there was the unclear issue of how long she'd lost visual contact with Lina, something described as "a short time" by police. But regardless, this led to many comments about how Lina's mother wasn't doing an adequate job taking care of her... blaming her, directly or indirectly, for Lina's disappearance.

Then there were the overtly-racist theories that were tossed around online, which speculated that Lina's family had brokered a deal to sell her off. Or had killed her themselves and then set out to cover it up. These commenters would speculate (without any evidence, mind you) that Lina had never actually gone outside to play with other kids that day, which was seemingly put to bed by the SAPD when they released video footage showing that very thing. But that footage wasn't released until the one year mark of the case, leading to many months of harassment and heinous speculation.

Other online commenters would wonder why only Riaz, Lina's father, appeared in public. In doing so, they cast doubt upon Lina's mother, who chose not to step in front of the camera because of her cultural and religious beliefs.

In 2022, months after her daughter's disappearance, Zarmeena Sardar Khil would tell Fox San Antonio:

"We all have the same pain, it doesn't matter that I am from Afghanistan, I have a different culture, different religion. What we have in common is the pain of motherhood, as a human, is the same as all people."

This racist behavior started to become an actual threat to Lina's family, who - along with the Afghan community in San Antonio, as well as local activist groups - organized searches for the missing girl throughout 2022. But the racist allegations, once hidden behind a screen, started to manifest themselves physically. People would show up at these searches and hurl vile, racist allegations at Lina's family and loved ones.

Pamela Allen, the CEO of activist group Eagles Flight Advocacy and Outreach, helped organize many of those searches. Over time, she'd become a representative for the Khil family, speaking to press outlets in an attempt to raise awareness for Lina's case. But after these threats began to manifest themselves, Allen called off the searches, later telling KENS-5:

"We have people that are stalking us that go on these searches, that film us, take pictures of us and come up with different stories. We just don't want to do those types of searches anymore."

She'd go on to describe the root cause of this harassment, which - in my opinion, is nothing shy of racism, directed at someone who should be celebrated by Americans. Or, as she put it, more eloquently than I could:

"Things directed at them because they're Afghani and because they're Muslim. That's harsh. [Lina's father] assisted our military forces when we were [in Afghanistan]... We brought him over here to make sure his family is safe. Then this happens."

In the year after Lina's disappearance, her family would receive a tip that she'd been seen alive in Oklahoma. This provided hope that she might someday return home, but that tip remains unconfirmed many months later.

Police have continued to keep the public informed via occasional update, but very few of them contain anything substantial. Per SAPD Police Chief William McManus, who spoke to Univision 41:

"... we are still, unfortunately, in the dark in this case.

"We interviewed all the people who live in that apartment complex; plus we've talked to all the people who live in two other apartment complexes on one side of that place."

Over time, Lina's family has begun to express disappointment with law enforcement, claiming as soon as April 2023 that no new information was being shared with them. That same month, Riaz and his wife would agree to take polygraph tests in order to hopefully clear themselves as suspects, and would begin to publicly call for new investigators to take over the case... a call that was soundly rejected by SAPD.

They have since begun working with other outside organizations, including the aforementioned Eagles Flight Advocacy and Outreach, who helped organize searches and public events. As I brought up earlier, they also began working with Project Absentis, a local organization headed by a retired FBI agent, who began digging into the investigative meat of the case.

During their digging, Project Absentis discovered that a resident at the apartment complex Lina lived at with her family had been arrested in September 2022, less than a year after her disappearance, for possessing child abuse material with the intent to distribute. This individual wasn't named by the organization because he wasn't charged with any wrongdoing in Lina's case, but they stated that this was someone known to Lina's family. For that reason, they remain one of the most likely leads known to the public.

On the two-year mark of the case, in December 2023, the family would again begin pressing the public for information, holding public events in the hopes of growing the spotlight on Lina's case.

In February 2024, SAPD conducted a search in northwest San Antonio, between Auburn Creek and the Helix Apartments at Wurzbach and Bluemel, roughly half-a-mile from where Lina disappeared from. Residents of the region would describe seeing police out there with an unknown young man wearing a Bexar County jumpsuit, indicating he was an inmate at the local jail. It would later be learned that this young man had been detained for aggravated sexual acts involving a child, who reportedly lived at the same apartment complex at the time of Lina's disappearance.

Over the next two days, police would conduct a thorough search of this wooded area, bringing out a backhoe, combing through a locked shed, and utilizing ground-penetrating radar. However, it appears like nothing substantial was learned during this search, with police later describing the tip as "non-credible." Investigators seemed to believe that the inmate had lied about having information in order to obtain extra phone privileges.

Despite hope that this search might finally provide Lina's family with resolution regarding her fate, that was the last known update in the case.

To this day, Lina's family continues to struggle with her disappearance, with her father, Riaz, telling the San Antonio Express-News in 2022:

"How can anyone cut a piece of my heart?"

Her mother, Zarmeena, would tell Fox San Antonio that same year:

"... we are very sad you are not with us and we want you back in our home and in our lives and we are missing you and we are trying our best to get you back home."

Pamela Allen, the family's chosen representative, told ABC News on February 20th, 2022, what would have been Lina's fourth birthday:

"Her light is missing from her family and community. Our continuous prayer is that she will be back in the arms of those that love her."

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) released an age-progressed image of Lina last March (2024), showing what she would likely look like at six years old. At the time this episode comes out, in February 2025, her seventh birthday will be just days away, and she has now been missing nearly as long as she was with her family. While I recognize it is a long shot, I still hold out hope that she gets to celebrate it with her loved ones... a hope that I know they share.

Just recently, the Khil family raised the reward for information leading to Lina's whereabouts to $280,000, most of which has been raised by them and the Afghan community in San Antonio. If you know anything - or think you may know anything - please reach out to the San Antonio Police Department at (210) 207-7660. You can also reach out to San Antonio Crime Stoppers at (210) 224-7867, or FBI San Antonio at (210) 225-6741. You can also submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov, or through your nearest American Embassy or Consulate.

As of this episode's recording, the story of Lina Sardar Khil remains unresolved.

 

Episode Information

Episode Information

Writing, research, hosting, and production by Micheal Whelan

Published on February 9, 2025

Music Credits

Original music created by Micheal Whelan

Outro/theme music created and composed by Ailsa Traves

Sources and Other Reading

Official Reports and Law Enforcement Sources

  1. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). (n.d.). Lina Sardar Khil - Kidnapping investigation. Retrieved from https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/lina-sardar-khil

  2. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. (n.d.). Lina Sardar Khil - Missing child poster. Retrieved from https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/1439053/1

  3. San Antonio Police Department. (2022). $50,000 reward announced in case of missing child Lina Sardar Khil. Retrieved from https://www.sanantonio.gov/2022Bond/News-Releases/ArtMID/30857/ArticleID/22137/50000-Reward-Announced-in-Case-of-Missing-Child-Lina-Sardar-Khil

News Articles and Investigative Reports

  1. Wikipedia. (n.d.). Disappearance of Lina Sardar Khil. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Lina_Khil

  2. KXXV News. (2021, December 21). Amber Alert issued for 3-year-old out of San Antonio. Retrieved from https://www.kxxv.com/news/local-news/amber-alert-issued-for-3-year-old-out-of-san-antonio

  3. KENS 5 News. (2021, December 22). Missing girl’s father speaks to KENS 5 in San Antonio. Retrieved from https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/missing-girls-father-speaks-to-kens-5-san-antonio/273-a3849701-c86e-4f27-b40c-6aeaa64c29af

  4. KSAT News. (2021, December 21). More details emerge about missing 3-year-old Lina Khil. Retrieved from https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/12/21/more-details-emerge-about-missing-3-year-old-lina-khil/

  5. People Magazine. (2021, December 28). Police release new footage of missing Lina Sardar Khil. Retrieved from https://people.com/crime/police-release-new-footage-of-missing-lina-sardar-khil/

  6. CNN. (2021, December 22). Search continues for missing 3-year-old Lina Khil. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/22/us/san-antonio-missing-girl/index.html

  7. Kristv News. (2021, December 23). Search intensifies for missing 3-year-old San Antonio girl. Retrieved from https://www.kristv.com/news/texas-news/search-intensifies-for-missing-3-year-old-san-antonio-girl

  8. Washington Post. (2021, December 27). Afghan refugee’s daughter vanishes in Texas. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/12/27/afghan-refugee-missing/

  9. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. (2021, December 28). Police continue search for missing Texas girl. Retrieved from https://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article256894622.html

  10. Belleville News-Democrat. (2021, December 28). Search for missing child Lina Sardar Khil continues. Retrieved from https://www.bnd.com/news/nation-world/national/article256894622.html

  11. USA Today. (2021, December 28). Missing girl Lina Sardar Khil - search efforts continue. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/12/28/missing-girl-san-antonio-lina-khil/9032036002/

  12. NBC News. (2022, January 5). FBI dive team joins search for missing 3-year-old Texas girl. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fbi-dive-team-joins-search-3-year-old-texas-girl-missing-2-weeks-rcna10981

  13. CBS News. (2022, January 6). Lina Khil - FBI dive team joins search in San Antonio. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lina-khil-fbi-dive-team-search-three-year-old-girl-san-antonio/

  14. News4 San Antonio. (2022, January 7). Search continues for missing 3-year-old Lina Khil. Retrieved from https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/search-continues-for-missing-3-year-old-lina-khil-afghan-refugee-afghanistan-san-antonio-child-toddler-searching

  15. San Antonio Express-News. (2022, January 8). Hopes remain for Lina Sardar Khil's safe return. Retrieved from https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Hopes-for-Lina-Sardar-Khil-San-Antonio-16771812.php

  16. Fox San Antonio. (2022, February 16). Exclusive: Mother’s message for missing daughter. Retrieved from https://foxsanantonio.com/news/yami-investigates/exclusive-mothers-message-for-missing-daughter

  17. KSAT News. (2022, February 17). Reward increased to $170,000 for information that leads to the safe return of Lina Sardar Khil. Retrieved from https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2022/02/17/reward-increased-to-170000-for-information-that-leads-to-safe-return-of-lina-sardar-khil/

  18. New York Post. (2022, February 17). $170K reward offered for missing Texas 3-year-old girl. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2022/02/17/170k-reward-offered-for-missing-texas-3-year-old-girl/

  19. ABC News. (2022, February 20). Missing girl Lina Sardar Khil’s 4th birthday marks two months since her disappearance. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/US/missing-girl-lina-sardar-khils-4th-birthday-marks/story?id=82983268

  20. People Magazine. (2022, February 22). Lina Sardar Khil’s family speaks out two months after girl vanished, offers reward. Retrieved from https://people.com/crime/lina-sardar-khil-family-speaks-out-2-months-after-girl-vanished-offers-reward/

  21. The Independent. (2022, February 22). $250,000 reward for missing San Antonio girl. Retrieved from https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/missing-girl-san-antonio-playground-reward-b2020028.html

  22. Oxygen True Crime. (2022, February 22). Family of missing Lina Sardar Khil speaks on her birthday. Retrieved from https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/family-of-missing-lina-sardar-khil-speaks-on-her-birthday

  23. ABC News. (2022, February 24). Reward for missing girl Lina Sardar Khil increases to $250,000. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/US/reward-missing-girl-lina-sardar-khil-increases-250000/story?id=83061993

  24. San Antonio Express-News. (2022, February 25). Lina Khil: What we know about the missing San Antonio girl. Retrieved from https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Lina-Khil-missing-girl-17015379.php

  25. KENS 5 News. (2022, February 26). Lina Sardar Khil’s disappearance: What we know so far. Retrieved from https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/public-safety/line-sardar-khil-san-antonio-girl-disappearance-texas-investigation-missing/273-3cb5c549-9176-4760-aa81-69352cfc52ce

  26. Fox 7 Austin. (2022, February 28). Family of Lina Sardar Khil stalked, harassed in San Antonio, Texas. Retrieved from https://www.fox7austin.com/news/family-of-lina-sardar-khil-stalked-harassed-san-antonio-texas

  27. Oxygen True Crime. (2022, March 1). Police share new surveillance of missing Lina Sardar Khil. Retrieved from https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/police-share-new-surveillance-of-missing-lina-sardar-khil

  28. KXAN News. (2022, March 3). San Antonio PD releases footage of missing child Lina Khil at playground. Retrieved from https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/san-antonio-pd-releases-footage-of-missing-child-lina-khil-at-playground/

  29. KSAT News. (2021, December 22). Search continues for missing 3-year-old Lina Khil. Retrieved from https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/12/22/the-longer-the-time-lapses-the-less-hopeful-we-become-search-continues-for-missing-3-year-old-lina-khil/

  30. KSAT News. (2021, December 21). San Antonio police seek missing 3-year-old girl last seen on Northwest Side. Retrieved from https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/12/21/san-antonio-police-seek-missing-3-year-old-girl-last-seen-on-northwest-side/

  31. Daily Mail. (2021, December 22). Parents of missing Afghan refugee girl, 3, believe she was abducted from playground. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10336767/Parents-missing-Afghan-refugee-girl-3-believe-abducted-playground.html

  32. KSAT News. (2022, January 19). Photo shows clothing, jewelry that missing 3-year-old Lina Khil was wearing the day she disappeared. Retrieved from https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2022/01/19/photo-shows-clothing-jewelry-that-missing-3-year-old-lina-khil-was-wearing-the-day-she-disappeared/

  33. Fox San Antonio. (2022, December 20). Leads still coming in on 3-year-old missing for almost a year. Retrieved from https://foxsanantonio.com/news/yami-investigates/leads-still-coming-in-on-3-year-old-missing-for-almost-a-year

  34. KENS 5 News. (2023, April 12). Lina Sardar Khil: 16 months since disappearance. Retrieved from https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/lina-sardar-khil-16-months-disappearance/273-8bf99251-84ac-49a8-b4a9-9d6cc32c5951

  35. San Antonio Express-News. (2023, May 5). Lina Khil’s parents may take polygraph test regarding disappearance. Retrieved from https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/lina-khil-missing-parents-polygraph-17910661.php

  36. KENS 5 News. (2023, May 6). Parents of Lina Sardar Khil may be taking polygraph test Tuesday. Retrieved from https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/parents-of-lina-sardar-khil-may-be-taking-polygraph-test-tuesday-missing-san-antonio-texas-child/273-79911b59-9fd6-435d-825b-9300ec2a7280

  37. San Antonio Express-News. (2024, January 15). Three years later: The disappearance of Lina Sardar Khil. Retrieved from https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/lina-sardar-khil-disappearance-18557022.php

  38. ABC 7 News. (2024, January 20). Lina Sardar Khil update: Missing Texas girl’s case remains open in San Antonio. Retrieved from https://abc7.com/lina-sardar-khil-update-missing-texas-girl-san-antonio/14433995/

  39. KSAT News. (2024, February 15). SAPD holds press conference about investigation on Northwest Side. Retrieved from https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2024/02/15/sapd-holds-press-conference-about-investigation-on-northwest-side/

  40. ABC News. (2024, February 18). San Antonio police search area after tip in Lina Sardar Khil disappearance. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/US/san-antonio-police-search-area-after-tip-disappearance/story?id=107295639

  41. KXAN News. (2024, February 22). Age progression photo of missing San Antonio girl released 3 years after disappearance. Retrieved from https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/age-progression-photo-of-missing-san-antonio-girl-released-3-years-after-disappearance/

  42. KENS 5 News. (2024, March 3). SAPD denies assistance to investigators in Lina Sardar Khil case. Retrieved from https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/sapd-denies-assistance-investigators-lina-sardar-khil-case/273-ae270526-8a3e-4d5e-a5b3-5e31db4bbb0d

  43. News 4 San Antonio. (2024, March 7). Family’s frustration grows as search for Lina Khil enters 3rd year. Retrieved from https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/familys-frustration-grows-as-search-for-lina-khil-enters-3rd-year-san-antonio-police-investigation-evidence-missing-child-tips

  44. KENS 5 News. (2024, March 10). Lina Sardar Khil’s father desperate for answers 3 years after disappearance. Retrieved from https://www.kens5.com/article/life/family/lina-sardar-khil-father-desperate-answers-3-years-disappeared/273-42d01c04-21b1-4e4c-a51a-be08e97db8b8

  45. San Antonio Report. (2024, March 15). Lina Sardar Khil’s family believes she’s still alive. Retrieved from https://sanantonioreport.org/lina-sardar-khils-family-believes-shes-still-alive-missing-persons-san-antonio/

  46. KENS 5 News. (2024, March 20). Lina Khil case: Northwest Side search connected to 3-year-old’s disappearance in 2021. Retrieved from https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/lina-khil-case-northwest-side-search-connected-to-3-year-olds-disappearance-in-2021-police-say/273-20b4179a-edd7-4fb1-a10c-aa5f6565b254

  47. Fox San Antonio. (2024, March 25). Lina’s family frustrated by three years of limited communication from authorities. Retrieved from https://foxsanantonio.com/news/yami-investigates/linas-family-frustrated-by-three-years-of-limited-communication-from-authorities

  48. Fox 7 Austin. (2024, March 30). Missing in Texas: Lina Sardar Khil case update. Retrieved from https://www.fox7austin.com/news/missing-in-texas-lina-sardar-khil-san-antonio-texas

YouTube Videos

  1. Fox San Antonio. (2024, March 30). Missing in Texas: Lina Sardar Khil case update [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGai_Nx2PEU

  2. KSAT News. (2024, February 15). SAPD holds press conference about investigation on Northwest Side [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bsturPsoKc

  3. ABC 7 News. (2024, January 20). Lina Sardar Khil update: Missing Texas girl’s case remains open in San Antonio [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRp8JyODz-Y

  4. KENS 5 News. (2024, March 10). Lina Sardar Khil’s father desperate for answers 3 years after disappearance [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yhfwV_TmEQ

  5. KSAT News. (2022, January 19). Photo shows clothing, jewelry that missing 3-year-old Lina Khil was wearing the day she disappeared [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4zcYdzM5Go

  6. Fox San Antonio. (2022, December 20). Leads still coming in on 3-year-old missing for almost a year [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7G4LPF20mo

  7. KENS 5 News. (2023, April 12). Lina Sardar Khil: 16 months since disappearance [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idVAhIBbDh4

Websleuths Forums

  1. Websleuths. (2021, December 20). TX - Lina Sardar Khil, 3, last seen on playground, apartment complex, San Antonio, 20 Dec 2021 (Thread 2) [Online forum post]. Websleuths. https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/tx-lina-sardar-khil-3-last-seen-on-playground-apartment-complex-san-antonio-20-dec-2021-2.607639/

  2. Websleuths. (2021, December 20). TX - Lina Sardar Khil, last seen on playground at apartment complex, San Antonio, Dec 2021 (Thread 3) [Online forum post]. Websleuths. https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/tx-lina-sardar-khil-last-seen-on-playground-at-apartment-complex-san-antonio-dec-2021-3.658957/

Reddit Threads

  1. Reddit. (2021, December 21). 3-year-old Lina Sardar Khil missing [Online forum post]. r/sanantonio. https://old.reddit.com/r/sanantonio/comments/rn4kiq/3_year_old_lina_sardar_khil_missing/

  2. Reddit. (2021, December 30). Is there any new information in the Lina Sardar Khil case? [Online forum post]. r/TrueCrime. https://old.reddit.com/r/TrueCrime/comments/rt6gt3/is_there_any_new_information_in_the_lina_sardar/

  3. Reddit. (2024, April 5). Baffling: Lina Sardar Khil disappeared without a trace [Online forum post]. r/MissingPersons. https://old.reddit.com/r/MissingPersons/comments/18lqbjk/baffling_lina_sardar_khil_disappeared_without_a/