Just 4 years old, Lina Sardar Khil was last seen on a playground at the Villas del Cabo apartment complex on the northwest side of San Antonio, Texas.
It's been five months since she vanished, seemingly into thin air. Her family and the public want answers.
Lina was last seen Monday, Dec. 20, between 4 and 5 p.m. at 9400 Fredericksburg Road.
Her mother left her unattended at the playground for an unspecified amount of time. At 7:15 p.m., about two hours later, her parents reported her missing to the police.
Lina has straight-length hair that was last placed in a ponytail. She was last seen wearing a red dress, black jacket, and black shoes.
Police and search groups have scoured parts of San Antonio, but there has been no sign of what could have happened to Lina.
For example, an 11-person FBI Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team searched a creek in the Medical Center near Babcock and Huebner looking for any sign of Lina but came out with nothing useful.
The child's fourth birthday passed with still no sign of her, despite the efforts of many in the community.
Lina is a missing person case because police can't prove a crime has happened, and there is no evidence of foul play at this point in the investigation.
Her parents, Riaz and Zarmeena Sardar Khil, are preparing to welcome a new baby. They told KENS 5 TV it's difficult for them to be excited about the baby's arrival.
The family has been harassed by some members of the public, potentially because of cultural differences.
NEWS4SA met with the family, and although Zarmeena did not want to be videotaped because of her cultural beliefs, she expressed deep pain that her child is missing. She spoke in her native language of Pashto.
"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," says Zarmeena Sardar Khil, Lina's mother.
Lina's family is from Paktia province, one of the most remote provinces in Afghanistan. They moved to the U.S. in 2019. Zarmeena said her family moved from Afghanistan to the United States in hopes of finding a safer and more stable life for her young family. She could never have imagined that her daughter would disappear instead, turning their world upside down.
In hopes of getting some new leads, the family has brought in the non-profit Project Absentis, which is an organization made up of retired and former FBI Agents, other law enforcement, public safety, and intelligence professionals who seek to assist families of missing persons in locating their loved ones.
"We're doing everything pro-bono," said Abel Pena, Private Investigator for Project Absentis, told KENS 5 TV. "We might generate additional leads and be able to get other people to be able to talk to us that don't feel comfortable talking to law enforcement."
Project Absentis is seeking information to their anonymous tip line: 726-777-1359, or you can e-mail them at info@projectabsentis.org.
Crime Stoppers is offering $50,000 for any information leading to the suspect's arrest involved with Lina Khil's disappearance. The Islamic Center of San Antonio is also currently offering $100,000 as a reward to help find Lina.
If you have any information about the child's disappearance, the Missing Person Unit's phone number is 210-207-7660. They answer the phone 24 hours a day.
