Kyron Horman Investigation Costs Top $400,000

Multnomah County's estimated costs for its investigation into the disappearance of 7-year-old Kyron Horman have climbed past $400,000.

But County Chair Jeff Cogen believes law enforcement is close enough to cracking the case that cost will not become an issue.

"If they were continuing to spend money like this six months from now, I'd be concerned," Cogen tells WW. "But I don't think anyone believes that's going to happen. We hope way before then that this will be resolved."

Cogen says his belief is not based on any inside knowledge of the case.

The latest reports from the Sheriff's Office and the District Attorney's Office estimate the case of the missing 7-year-old boy has cost the county about $413,000.

That was as of last Friday — six weeks after Kyron disappeared June 4 from Skyline School.

The DA's latest report (PDF) shows $62,616.41 in costs. The case last week cost the DA's office about $1,800 per day.

Sheriff's Sgt. Travis Gullberg tells WW his office spent about $350,000 on the case by the end of last week. Gullberg says Sheriff Dan Staton may ask county commissioners for a budget modification if costs continue to build.

Cogen says the cash-strapped county may have trouble coming up with that kind of money if the case drags on for months. But so far he believes the costs have been justified.

"I don't have any reason to believe what we've tapped so far is inappropriate," Cogen says. "At this point I think both the sheriff and the DA have done absolutely the right thing in investigating and pursuing [the case]."