The search continues to weave between two cities this week for missing Texas friends Krislyn Gibson and Sidney Taylor, who were last seen on April 2, after heading to Austin from their homes in Houston.
Krislyn and Sidney, both 35, arrived in Austin on Friday, April 1 to attend the Urban Music Festival. The pair, friends since attending Aldine High School together years ago, was staying with one of Sidney's cousins for the weekend. They left the residence in the early hours that Saturday to go to a club, leaving most of their belongings behind.
They've not been seen since.
The mystery deepened several days later, when Sidney's 2010 Dodge Charger was found in a parking lot in the Midtown district of Houston. Other information, reportedly either a ping or a location from Sidney's cell phone, launched searches at Bear Creek Park just northwest of Houston last week. Dozens of volunteers turned out to poke through the brush and comb the terrain, but failed to find any evidence or clues related to the case.
Krislyn is a single mother of a young son, who reportedly last spoke with her father that Friday evening to give him the password to her son's Xbox 360 video game console. Sidney is a married father of four. Both hold steady jobs in the Houston area.
Family members insist neither would simply disappear willingly."[Sidney] loved his family… he would never leave them behind or have them worry about him," Cathleen Evette Bazaldua, Sidney's cousin, told Dateline. "My aunt is a very strong woman. She's lost without her son though."
"My daughter, she's a good person with a good heart," Josh Gibson, Krislyn's father, told NBC affiliate KPRC. "We want her back."
Texas EquuSearch, who police say has played an instrumental role in organizing search efforts, suspended their search late Thursday. They say they will pick back up efforts as soon as police are able to give them another area of interest to search. "It's not for lack of effort. We just now need a little bit of luck to get us in the right area. And of course, at this point in time, it doesn't look good," Tim Miller, of Texas Equusearch, told NBC affiliate KPRC.
Investigators with both the Austin Police Department and the Houston Police Department are investigating the case. The news first looked grim when authorities notified the public that the Houston Police Department's Homicide Division was looking into the case, but officials say that is not unusual in a situation like this.
"Those officers do tend to help out with these missing persons cases as needed. It's not a sign that foul play is necessarily involved," Houston police spokesperson Victor Senties told Dateline. "We are doing everything we can to find some type of answers, but that's really all the information we can release at this time."
Despite few leads, both Krislyn and Sidney's families remain optimistic. Hundreds attended a candlelight vigil Saturday night in the park where volunteers searched last week, praying that the long-time friends will be found safely.
Krislyn Gibson is described as 5'4" tall, weighing 130 lbs. with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a white blouse and dark pants. Sidney Taylor is described as 5'10" tall, weighing 230 lbs., with short black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a light or tan fleece jacket with blue jeans.
Anyone with information regarding either of their whereabouts is urged to call the Houston Police Department at or Crime Stoppers at (713) 222-TIPS.
No comments:
Post a Comment