Long hours, daylong stakeouts: How reporters pursued the Kyron Horman story in 2010

In 2010, digital tools for journalists were emerging, but the gritty, time-intensive methods of traditional reporting still dominated newsrooms.

The

disappearance of 7-year-old Kyron Horman

from his

Portland

elementary school thrust The Oregonian’s journalists into a high-stakes investigation.

Listen to the full episode:

Shane Dixon-Kavanaugh

, then an intern at The Oregonian and now the paper’s Portland City Call reporter, recalled the labor-intensive methods required to piece together the puzzle surrounding key figures in the case, particularly Kyron’s stepmother,

Terri Horman

.

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“I had a whole entire assignment, and this just went on for several days where I was trying to find as much information as possible about

Terri’s previous marriage

‚” Kavanaugh explained. “That involved me driving out to Hillsboro one morning and going to the Washington County courthouse and pulling up records … because this is sort of 2010, it’s still on the cusp when a lot of things were still pretty analog.”

Richard Ecker and Terri Moulton Horman were married between August 1996 and January 2002. Ecker adopted her son James from Moulton’s first marriage. LC-

LC-

Richard Ecker, Terri’s second husband, wasn’t initially inclined to speak to a reporter.

“I would do hours-long and sometimes daylong stakeouts of a source or subject involved in the story,” Kavanaugh recounted. “I can recall literally hours, four or five hours, just being parked in a parking lot of a strip mall in Beaverton because (Ecker) worked at a Verizon store out there.”

The dedication yielded results. After multiple rejections, Kavanaugh’s persistence finally paid off.

Ecker approached him and said, “Okay, what do you want to know?” – opening a valuable window into understanding a central figure in the investigation.

Kavanaugh’s interview with Ecker helped form the foundation for an in-depth and

illuminating profile on Terri

, written by then-Oregonian reporter Lynne Terry.

The Oregonian’s coverage of Kyron’s disappearance serves as a testament to what’s possible when newsrooms commit substantial resources to stories of profound public interest. In an era when many local newspapers have seen drastic cuts to investigative teams, the depth and breadth of reporting achieved in 2010 feels increasingly precious.

The methods may evolve, but the core principles remain: persistence, patience and presence. These qualities defined the pursuit of truth in the Kyron Horman case and continue to drive meaningful journalism today, even as the tools and resources available to reporters change.

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o hear more about the behind-the-scenes reporting on Kyron Horman’s disappearance, including additional insights from the journalists who covered it, listen to the full series:

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