Community volunteer-operated heavy machinery is now part of the long-running and widespread search for 5-year-old Kyle Doan of San Miguel.
“We finally got a letter from the governor’s office allowing us to bring heavy machinery into the [Salinas] riverbed, and we did have a property owner who also allowed us to bring the machinery down,” said Doan’s aunt Chantel Paschal.
Paschal lives in Tennessee and is coordinating a part of San Luis Obispo County’s search efforts. Attempts to recover Doan began Jan. 9 after floodwaters from San Marcos Creek carried him away from his mother as passersby helped them try to exit their stuck truck. The community-led search for him is a continuation of the ongoing weeks-long search of both the creek and adjacent Salinas River conducted by the local Sheriff’s Office and police departments and law enforcement from around the state.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office issued the Doan family the permission letter on Feb. 11, according to Paschal. Days later, she and the Doans organized searches around the private land along the creek and river. Paschal told New Times that roughly 50 people arrived to help the weekends of Feb. 11, and 30 community members assisted with a machine-operated search on the weekend of Feb. 18.
“We’re desperately in need of heavy equipment,” she said. “We probably have more operators than we do machines itself. With rentals, they’re so backlogged because of the devastation across the state.”
Paschal added that the family is personally looking for private companies who own machinery and tree removal services that have woodchippers and chainsaws.
“We’re hoping to chip away some of the logs that are down there in the riverbed, so that dogs can get in there and smell,” Paschal said. “We’re working closely with San Miguel Fire and hoping to get a canine team through them.”
Doan’s disappearance has left SLO County worried, even prompting a response from President Joe Biden during his tour of California’s storm damage.
“That little boy, we’re still trying to find,” Biden announced in a press conference in Santa Cruz County on Jan. 26. “Everybody I’ve talked to today spontaneously brings that up. Jill and I have him and his family in our prayers.”
Now, Paschal is coordinating another recovery operation over the weekend of Feb. 25. Some of the secured machinery came from the Rental Depot, which donated it free of charge for two weekends. Those interested in participating can meet at Soka Way in San Miguel at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 25 and 26. Make donations at gofundme.com/f/gse23h-bring-kyle-home.
“We truly could not do this without public support and funding. Eventually, funds are going to run out, making it impossible to find Kyle,” Paschal said. “We realize that we have always been under a time crunch … and every day, we pray, is the day Kyle is brought back to us.”
While the SLO County Sheriff’s Office had initially discouraged residents from conducting their own explorations in the days after the storm, a Feb. 16 press release from the Sheriff’s Office, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) cautioned volunteers to help responsibly.
“Since the land along the San Marcos Creek and Salinas River is private property, you are strongly encouraged to seek permission from the individual property owners before searching in those areas,” the statement read. “Please put your safety first and follow all guidance set forth by local officials.”
Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Tony Cipolla told New Times that the department is aware of searches conducted by Doan’s family and other community members. He didn’t comment on whether past self-conducted pursuits conflicted with law enforcement’s efforts.
“The statement was simply to remind the community about the Sheriff’s Office and the state’s commitment to the search for Kyle, and for those conducting self-initiated searches to be mindful and responsible while searching,” Cipolla said. Δ
This article appears in Weddings 2023.