Strange New Twist in Case of Missing Oregon Boy

(July 5) -- The mysterious disappearance of Kyron Horman has taken a new twist with the emergence of an alleged murder-for-hire plot involving the 7-year-old boy's stepmother.

A landscaper employed by the Horman family contacted police last month and told them that Terri Moulton Horman offered him a "large sum of money" to kill her husband, Kaine Horman, The Oregonian reported. The landscaper said Horman approached him with the plot about six months before her stepson disappeared.

Kyron Horman was last seen by his stepmother walking to his classroom at Skyline Elementary School in Portland on June 4. When the boy failed to return home later that day, his family called the school and discovered that he was missing. Search teams scoured an area spanning several miles, but no sign of Kyron was found. Authorities have since reclassified the case from a missing endangered child to a criminal investigation.

Investigators have not charged Terri Horman in connection with the alleged plot, nor has she been named as a suspect or person of interest in Kyron's disappearance. She has, however, hired prominent criminal defense lawyer Stephen Houze.

After receiving information about the alleged murder-for-hire plot from the unnamed landscaper, detectives with the Multnomah County Major Crimes Team attempted to set up a sting operation involving the landscaper and an undercover officer, according to The Oregonian. The two approached Horman on June 26, but she reportedly refused to discuss the plot. When investigators confronted her about it, Horman denied any knowledge of it.

That same day, investigators notified Kaine Horman about the landscaper's statements – a development that apparently caused Horman to file for divorce and take out a restraining order against his wife that prevents her from having contact with their 19-month-old daughter.

Two Portland TV stations, KATU and KPTV, reported that their sources independently confirmed The Oregonian's account, first published Sunday.

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office won't confirm any details about the alleged plot.

"There will be no comment from the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office regarding the information reported in the July 4, 2010, Oregonian," Lt. Mary Lindstrand, a sheriff's spokeswoman, said in a statement.

"The information released in The Oregonian article did NOT come from the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office," Lindstrand continued. "This is an ongoing investigation."

Meanwhile, Kyron's parents are still desperately seeking information about their son's disappearance. A joint statement recently issued by the boy's father and biological mother, Desiree Young, implored Terri Horman to assist in the investigation.

"We implore Terri Horman to fully cooperate with the investigators to bring Kyron home," the statement reads.

The parents also expressed their belief that their son is still alive.

"Keep his face out there, keep looking for him. We're optimistic Kyron will be found, and we can't comment beyond that."