KIT COLBURN - 10 yo - Warner Robins GA

May 10, 2012 9:01 AM

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. (AP) - Authorities have been searching for a missing 10-year-old boy from Warner Robins.


Tabitha Pugh with Warner Robins police told The Telegraph newspaper (http://bit.ly/IJ0qQ4
) Wednesday that the search for Kit Colburn had focused on a two-mile
radius but were considering expanding the search to the entire city.

The 5th grader was last seen at 8:45 a.m. Tuesday in his homeroom at school. School officials
say he was sent to the principal's office to explain why he didn't bring
in a disciplinary form that he was supposed to have signed by a parent.
But he never showed up at the principal's office.

Pugh says police are treating the search as a runaway case since the boy walked away from the
school. She says they have no reason to suspect foul play.
http://www.wtvm.com/story/18245319/authorities-seek-missing-boy-in-warner-robins

The police chief in Warner Robins says the disappearance of a 10-year-old boy has raised a lot of questions.

Police have been looking for Kit Colburn since Tuesday morning. The boy
was last seen at about 8:45 a.m. when he was seen at the school. The
school reported him missing to police at 12:19 p.m.

Police Chief Brett Evans says questions have been raised in his mind --
one of those being the attitude of the missing boy's father. Evans said
Kenneth Colburn hasn't seemed to be concerned about his son's safety,
which raises a red flag for him.

Evans didn't explain further, but said there was no sign the boy had been abducted.

According to the Arizona Department of Corrections, the boy's mother,
Sherry M. Colburn is in a state prison there, convicted of identity
theft and other charges. Evans said there has been no contact between
Sherry Colburn and the rest of the family in a year and a half.

Search area expands
Wednesday afternoon, police said they have thoroughly covered the
original search area around Fountain Park and have expanded the area to
cover the entire city of Warner Robins.

Police spokesperson Tabitha Pugh says volunteers have, in some cases,
slowed the search for Colburn. She said the search had turned up some
false "hits" that turned out to be volunteers searching in wooded areas.
She said that search teams had to take time away from their searches to
verify that the "hits" were not Colburn.

Police also said people walking through the woods may have covered the boy's trail.

RELATED | Police: Volunteers slowing search
MORE | Superintendent: Boy was sent to office for unsigned note
Police told her this morning that they still have no leads on where Colburn is located.

According to Warner Robins Police's Facebook page, garbage and trash service, both to homes and businesses, has been suspended from Highway 247 west to Houston Lake Road, from Watson Boulevard south to Feagin Mill Road.

Police say that's to reduce traffic on roads in the search area.

Community volunteers gathered at 10 a.m. the Food Max on Russell Parkway to resume searching.

A Facebook post by the Warner Robins Police Department thanks those
who have contributed resources, time, and donations of snacks and water.


School spokeswoman Beth McLaughlin said the boy walked out of Russell Elementary School shortly after noon on Tuesday.

McLaughlin said classes are being held at the school as usual today.

Ken Colburn, Kit's father, told 13WMAZ's Jennifer Moulliet that his
son ran off because he thought he was going to get in trouble at school.
He said he believes Kit knows people are searching for him and is
hiding.

Police spokeswoman Tabitha Pugh told 13WMAZ Tuesday night there is no reason to believe that Colburn had been abducted.

As of Wednesday morning, a statewide Amber Alert had not been issued.

Kit Colburn is described by police as 4-foot-10 inches tall and weighing 70 pounds.

Police say he has short brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen
wearing a tan or off-white shirt with a design and dark-colored shorts.

McLaughlin said the boy was sent to the school office, but instead walked out of the building.

The school is located just north of Russell Parkway east of Kimberly Road.

Community volunteers joined the search for the boy Tuesday evening.
Police urged the volunteers to stay in their cars and not search on foot
because their scent might confuse police search dogs.

Around midnight, Warner Robins police said they planned to search through the night.

Search teams stationed themselves every four cars or so in Colburn's neighborhood to see if he emerged after dark.

Police Chief Brett Evans said they've used two helicopters from the
Georgia State Patrol and two search dogs. A helicopter circled above the
school around 3 p.m.

Tabitha Pugh with the police department said they had people waiting in places around town where Kit would be likely to go.

Police say anyone with information on the missing boy should call 911.

http://www.11alive.com/news/article/241162/3/Disappearance-of-Central-Ga-boy-raises-questions

http://warnerrobinspatriot.com/bookmark/18538567-Missing-Warner-Robins-boy-Kit-Colburn-found-safe
Missing Warner Robins boy Kit Colburn found safe

Kit Colburn has been found. The 10 year old Warner Robins boy, who had been missing since Tuesday morning when he walked away from a nearby school campus, was discovered just before 9:30 outside a residence along Kimberly drive. That’s just a handful of miles from Russell Elementary where he went to school. Police Chief Brett Evans says the young man was in good shape, considering his ordeal, but declined to elaborate at this time on further details. Evans did praise the more than 600 volunteers who came out to look for Colburn, some coming as far away as Cochran and beyond. In addition, Evans says he hopes the three day episode helps send home a message to other young people, and their parents, that local law enforcement agencies are there to help and are glad to give their best whenever called upon in a crisis.