Search suspended for Houston couple who vanished in Austin

Danielle Baines searches for any clue of her friends Krislyn Gibson and Sidney Taylor, who went missing about a week ago. Baines and other volunteers spent Thursday at Bear Creek Park searching for the pair. Danielle Baines searches for any clue of her friends Krislyn Gibson and Sidney Taylor, who went missing about a week ago. Baines and other volunteers spent Thursday at Bear Creek Park searching for the pair. Photo: Marie D. De Jesus, Staff Photo: Marie D. De Jesus, Staff Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Search suspended for Houston couple who vanished in Austin 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

Volunteers poked through brush and swatted mosquitoes at a sprawling Harris County park Thursday as they searched for two longtime Houston friends who went missing nearly a week ago in Austin.

The pair - Krislyn Gibson and Sidney Taylor, both 35 - were last seen early Saturday morning after traveling to Austin for the Urban Music Festival, according to friends.

Police in Houston and Austin joined forces to investigate the disappearances after Taylor's car was found abandoned in central Houston.

"Our homicide guys are looking into it," Houston police spokesman Victor Senties said. "We are asking anybody who has information to contact us."

.@TexasEquuSearch leading search for missing friends Krislyn Gibson&Sidney Taylor Last seen in Austin Friday #KHOU11 pic.twitter.com/9SsyAScbms — Alice Barr (@AliceBarrKHOU) April 6, 2016

The pair - former classmates at Aldine High School, where Taylor played football - had been in Taylor's car, a 2010 Dodge Charger, which was found in the Midtown area, according to Texas EquuSearch, a search organization that assists law enforcement.

However, late Thursday EquuSearch said they were suspending their efforts to locate the missing pair. Their volunteers completed searching through areas of interest to authorities and failed to find any evidence related to the case. EqquuSearch officials said they would initiate another search if police believe it is necessary.

Gibson, a single mother, graduated from Sam Houston State University and works at Exxon Mobil in The Woodlands.

"My daughter is a good person with a good heart, " said Gibson's father, Josh Gibson, as he held vigil at the EquuSearch command center in Bear Creek Pioneers Park. "Whatever has happened, she did not deserve it."

Taylor, who is married, went on to play football at Sam Houston State, then Prairie View A&M University. He is a crew supervisor for a railroad company in Houston.

Taylor's wife was with searchers and could not be reached for comment.

The investigation has weaved its way between the two cities, but police would not comment on why searchers were at Bear Creek Park or why they had concentrated their efforts in a 40-acre area.

The 2,400-acre park, which closes at 10 p.m. each night, is adjacent to Addicks Reservoir. It is home to youth sports, such as baseball and soccer teams, as well as bobcats, alligators, coyotes and other wildlife.

Gibson's father said he'd been told a ping from a cell phone, which was somehow tied to the investigation, was last registered in the vicinity.

Gibson said he last spoke to his daughter Friday, when she was leaving for Austin. He needed the password for her 8-year-old son's Xbox 360 video game console.

That was the last time he would hear from her, he said.

He thanked searchers, who were on foot as well as all-terrain vehicles, and asked that people continue to pray.

Among those joining searchers were friends of the missing as well as people who had never met them.

Sharon Masek, who lives nearby and does clerical substitute work for the Katy school district, said she knew she had to get involved when she heard about the search.

"If I had a family member missing, I would want everyone to come search for them," said Masek, who doesn't know Gibson or Taylor. "You want people to help out."

Christin Armstrong, who is friends with Gibson, posted on Facebook about what it was like to take part in the search.

"When you're out there, you're not thinking about any of your problems," said Gibson, who is editor of Mocha Kidmagazine and also went to Sam Houston State. "You're in zombie apocalypse mode.… Mud, mosquitoes, snakes and the elements, but everyone becomes one big family on a mission."

EquuSearch's Frank Black said the efforts of volunteers were coordinated by team leaders who had been further trained as to what to look for and what could be valuable to an investigation.

Black said the park has several areas that are remote but accessible. He noted that criminals often look for places to go unseen.

He declined to say what searchers were hoping to find.

"The police just told us, 'We received information in this area and we need you out searching,' '' he said. "A lot of times they can't say more or it can compromise an investigation."

Armstong appeared to stay positive.

"This I know: When I find Krislyn, she owes me some new workout shoes," she noted on her Facebook page.

A GoFundMe page in Gibson's name has been set up to seek donations to provide a reward to whoever provides information that leads directly to her whereabouts.

If that does not occur, the money will be saved to help her son attend college, according to the page.

"She is an extremely responsible 35-year-old mom that would never leave her boy," the page notes.

Exxon Mobil spokeswoman Lauren Kerr said the company has been in touch with Gibson's family.

"We are extremely concerned about Krislyn's well-being, and our thoughts and prayers are with her friends and family and for her safe return," she said.

A friend of Taylor's, who was at the search center and asked not to be named, said he was there to offer support however he could.

"We just want some closure for the families," he said.

Staff writers Brian Rogers and Mike Glenn contributed to this report.