PORTLAND, Ore. -- It's "agony" waiting for word on clues in each search for Kyron Horman, but Desiree Young also says that it means everything to her, to get some answers.
Kyron Horman vanished five years ago, when he was just 7 years old. His stepmother Terri Horman took him to a science fair at Portland's Skyline Elementary School and his loved ones never saw him again.
The latest search for clues started on Saturday and will wrap up on Monday, Young said. She did not comment on any specifics about clues, but said this effort was "more strategic" than any others in the past.
"At first you kind of throw this wide net out there," she said. "But you really learn how to hone in on areas that you think are more critical."
Young indicated some of those critical locations were areas traveled by Terri Horman. She said teams with specially trained dogs, from as far away as Florida, were used to zero in on key plots of land.
Terri was married to Kyron's father, Kaine Horman when the young boy vanished. Both Desiree and Kaine said they still believe Terri has not told investigators everything she knows.
Terri has been a primary focus of the investigation into Kyron's disappearance, but police have never called her a suspect in the case.
Young said she has learned more about Terri's behaviors and thinks that is the key to solving this horrible mystery.
"I try to get my head into Terri's," Young said. "I try to think about what was going through her head that day. We've gotta get answers and we've got to find him."
More than 60 volunteers were helping with this latest search and most of them did not even know Kyron or his family before his disappearance first made headlines. Some of them have law enforcement connections, others are just strangers touched by the family's painful plight.
"We are looking for anything that would give us a clue as to where he [Kyron] might be, looking for any of the clothing he might have been wearing," said Dennis Herring with the KlaasKIDS Foundation. "Anything like that could give us an indication of where he was."
One of the searchers on Saturday came across a set of bones in the woods near Sauvie Island, but that did not turn out to be a break in the case. About two hours later, a medical examiner determined the bones to be nonhuman, according to Sgt. Pete Simpson of Portland police.
"Even though you hope to find answers, you really don't want to find answers, too. So finding bones is very upsetting. It scared me and it upset me a lot and it will probably take me a couple weeks to be able to sleep again," Young said.
Kyron disappeared from Skyline Elementary School in Northwest Portland on June 4, 2010.
A gofundme account was up to finance this latest search. As of Wednesday morning, $31,632 had been raised, toward the $50,000 goal.
Back in June, Lt. Steve Alexander said the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office had received more than 4,000 tips in the case.
He added that the investigation was "definitely" still active, with tips continuing to come from all over the world nearly every day.
The sheriff's office has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to a resolution in the case. Anyone with information is asked to call the tip line at 503-261-2847.
People who want to volunteer for the September 5-6 search effort must have a valid ID, be 18 or older and sign a non-disclosure agreement. More details can be found on the Justice for Kyron Horman website run by Young's sister, Kelly Ramirez.
"It has been five years now and we still don't know where Kyron is," she said. "Our hearts were broken the day the unthinkable happened, a day there is no moving on from. Each day we live with the unknown, while silently praying today is the day he comes home to us. Our nightmare will not end until Kyron is home."
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