National Guard joins search for 5-year-old swept away by floodwaters in San Luis Obispo County

Nearly 120 members of the California National Guard have joined the search for Kyle Doan, the missing 5-year-old boy who was swept away by floodwaters near San Miguel in San Luis Obispo County during this week’s storms.

More than 200 personnel have already been deployed in the search for Kyle. The sheriff’s office has been working with search and dive teams from Santa Barbara, Ventura, Sacramento, Santa Clara and Kern counties, officials said. Cal Fire, California Highway Patrol, Grove Beach Police Department and the California Office of Emergency Services have also assisted with the search.

Sheriff’s officials have resumed their search every morning since Monday, when Kyle first went missing. The search was temporarily suspended Monday afternoon after weather conditions during the storms made it unsafe for first responders, according to the San Luis Obispo County sheriff’s office.

Lindsy Doan was driving her son Kyle to school Monday morning when she reached a crossing near San Marcos Creek, near San Miguel, her husband, Brian Doan, told The Times in a Wednesday interview.

An undated photo of Kyle Doan, who went missing Monday.

(Doan family)

There hadn’t been any posted signage indicating the road had been closed so she attempted to cross, he said. Their vehicle started to get swept away by the floodwaters and Lindsy Doan was able to get Kyle out of the car.

The current was too strong and Lindsy Doan got separated from Kyle, who continued to flow down the creek, Brian Doan said. Lindsy Doan started screaming for help and was rescued by nearby property owners, but by that time, Kyle was too far down the creek.

“My wife feels very terrible surviving this and not him,” Brian Doan said. “She did the right thing getting him out of the car. San Miguel Fire told me they saw the car had moved and it was pushed upside down in the creek.”

Kyle is 4 feet tall and 52 pounds, according to the Sheriff’s Office. He has short dark blond hair and hazel eyes; he was wearing blue jeans, a black puffer jacket with red lining and blue and gray Nike sneakers.

Monday was supposed to be Kyle’s first day back from holiday break after he had surgery to get a metal rod removed from his left leg, according to Brian Doan. Kyle was injured last year with a splinter fracture and hasn’t been able to run around and play with his friends. The family waited months for the rod to be taken out.

“We thought we had got through that, so this is just really bitter and upsetting in a lot of different ways,” Brian Doan said.

Brian Doan said that the property owners had seen Kyle floating in the creek and had been face-up, not face-down. He said their family is anxiously waiting for updates.

“We’re playing a waiting game for some kind of closure,” he said. “For information, good or bad.”

“It’s been hard,” he added. “We want him back.”