Large search planned as 79-year-old hiker with dementia remains missing

(KRON) — A team of nearly 100 trained search and rescue volunteers will comb the Windy Hill Open Space Preserve and surrounding areas on Saturday and Sunday for any signs of Margaret “Elaine” McKinley.

The 79-year-old dementia patient disappeared May 1 during a hike on the preserve’s Lost Trail. Since then, hundreds of rescuers have combed the heavily wooded area for McKinley. The public can expect a “significant law enforcement presence” in the area during the search, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said.

“This weekend’s coordinated search will allow teams to focus on intensively re-searching the area Elaine was reported missing from,” the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said. “The search will focus on covering as much ground as possible, while utilizing drones, ground teams, horses, several specialized K-9 teams and more.”

After weeks of extensive searches, authorities have found no trace of McKinley. Anyone with information about Elaine’s whereabouts is asked to call 911.

“Since entering the limited continuous search phase last week, our commitment to finding Elaine has not wavered,” the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said. “This phase refers to a search operation that continues indefinitely or until the missing person is located, but with resources that are scaled down compared to the initial, more intense phase.”

On May 14, a Georgia woman was “miraculously found alive” in Fresno County after she went missing for more than two weeks during a camping trip.