A 3-year-old Muslim girl went missing from her apartment complex in San Antonio in December. After San Antonio Crime Stoppers offered a $50,000 reward for any information leading to the whereabouts of Lina Sardar Khil, the Islamic Center of San Antonio added $120,000 more to the cash reward.
Mike Martin of the Islamic Center in San Antonio noted that they're determined to find the missing girl. He also added that children go missing every day but this had never happened to the Muslim community in over 20 years to his knowledge.
Martin noted that the 3-year-old girl immigrated from Afghanistan two years ago with her mother and father. An Amber Alert was issued when Lina went missing two months ago. It has, however, been discontinued by San Antonio police since then. The case is still open.
The girl disappeared from a park nearby her house
State and federal authorities are assisting the San Antonio police department in the search of the missing girl. According to police, Lina was last seen on December 20 between 4:30 pm and 5:10 pm local time at a park on the 9400 block of Fredericksburg Road nearby her house in San Antonio.
Amber Alert discontinued
Police, at the time, had issued an Amber Alert citing the missing child could be in 'grave danger.' An 11-person FBI team spent two days searching for the girl in a creek bed near the family's apartment complex. "While the Amber Alert for Lina has been suspended, it's critical to communicate that Lina is still a missing person, and, once again, we continue to follow up on leads and actively search for Lina," a San Antonio Police Department spokesperson told ABC News last month.
The 3-year-old with brown eyes and brown hair was last seen wearing a black jacket.
'We don't give up hope'
Out of the $120,000 being offered by the Islamic Center of San Antonio, $50,000 the Afghan American Coalition in New York. Martin noted that while the Muslim community is hoping for Lina's safe return, the increased cash reward is offered in hopes of getting closure to the missing girl's family, irrespective of the outcome.
"We recognize that time is passing, but we don't give up hope. God can make anything happen," he said.
Anyone with any information leading to the location of the missing girl is requested to call the San Antonio Police Department at 210-207-7660 or Crime Stoppers at 210-224-7867.
