"We miss you. We love you. We need you home right now," says 7-year-old Kyron Horman's stepfather

Exactly one week after their son disappeared from school, Kyron Horman’s family addressed the public for the first time, asking their community to “please help us bring Kyron home.”

“Kyron, we miss you. We love you. We need you home right now,” the 7-year-old’s stepfather, Tony Young, said Friday at a news conference, as his mother, Desiree Young, stood back and silently sobbed.

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“We’re doing everything we can to work with law enforcement, the search and rescue crews, to make sure that you can get back to us as soon as possible,” said Young. “You mean everything to us. Until you come home, this family is not complete.”

The search for the missing second grader, who was last seen at a science fair at Skyline Elementary in Portland, Ore., intensified on Thursday with authorities bringing in additional searchers, tracking dogs and help from the FBI.

Kyron’s father, Kaine Horman, along with the boy’s stepmother, Terri, who told police she saw the boy walking to his classroom last Friday morning, thanked their community for continuing to help with the search.

“We as a family know how stressful this is, but your memories and statements can help us find Kyron,” said Horman, who, along with the other family members, was wearing a white t-shirt with the 7-year-old’s picture.

Speaking directly to his stepson, Tony Young said, “Your school friends and families, teachers, staff at school and community as a whole have shown how much impact one little boy’s smile can have on a community.”

“Please, Kyron, keep up the hope,” Young added. “We believe in you.”