A parent's nightmare unfolded during a relentless storm in Southern California, when raging floodwaters swept a 5-year-old away.
The search continues for a 5-year-old Kyle, who is still missing Wednesday, in San Luis Obispo County.
NBC4 spoke exclusively with the boy's parents, who detailed what happened.
As torrential rain hammered the Central Coast Monday, Lindsy Doan was driving her 5-year-old son Kyle to kindergarten.
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"Kyle had told me, 'It’s OK, everything will be OK,'" Lindsy said.
At one point they hit a dip on a flooded road near San Miguel.
"So when I went into the dip I realized that I had made a mistake because it was filled on the bottom and my car started to drift and it drifted and it crashed into two trees," Lindsy said.
After they hit the trees, water was rising fast.
"He took off his seat belt and I told him to come out my door," Lindsy said. "He came toward me and the currents were so strong that when I tried to hold his hand, my hand wrapped around the tree and then the current pulled him away from me."
Neighbors were able to help Lindsy escape, but Kyle, wearing his black puffer jacket, drifted away.
"The water was really rough, so the water was splashing into my face and the current was dragging me down."
"Kyle was drifting down the river and I could see his head bobbing on the top of the river," Lindsy said.
He hasn’t been seen since. Lindsy said he doesn't know how to swim.
"The three people, good Samaritans, were on the side and they heard my screaming and saw Kyle floating by but it was in the middle of the river and they couldn’t... it was too far. He was floating on his back and he was looking up," Lindsy said.
It’s so surreal to know that he’s not there right now.
Brian Doan, Kyle's father
Brian is a substitute teacher, and he learned the news as he arrived at school.
"I immediately am trying to maintain composure off what she is saying. ‘I lost Kyle. I can’t find Kyle’. I’m thinking ‘What’s going on?'" Brian said.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office has led the search.
"We searched yesterday until weather conditions made it impossible for us to continue," said Tony Cipolla, with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office. "We continued that search this morning and we have searched all day. We have just concluded for today, that search, and we still have not located the boy."
Cipolla said in the 30 years he's been living in the area, he's never seen it rain as hard in such a short amount of time as it did that day.
"I was asked not too long ago if this is a rescue or a recovery mission. And I always say it is a rescue mission until it proves otherwise," he said, "We want to always have that hope that we will be able to find that little boy and we want to make sure the family has that hope too."
Kyle Doan is an outgoing, clever 5-year-old, the youngest of three children. His siblings are 18 and 16, so he's the baby of the family. They say he's always being silly, and trying to make people laugh.
"He’s my little guy," Brian said.
His family hopes you keep all of them in your prayers as they pray for a miracle.
"It’s tough, because I’d love to have him back," Brian said.
