More than a week after it began, officials on Vancouver Island have made the difficult decision to suspend a massive search for a woman missing near Sooke, B.C.
Monday would have been the ninth day of the search for 38-year-old Melissa McDevitt, a neurodivergent woman police said was at high risk, and believed to be in the Sooke Pot Holes area.
Sooke RCMP said the decision to suspend the search was made in consultation with Juan de Fuca Search and Rescue.
“The Sooke RCMP, along with Ms. McDevitt’s family, wish to extend their sincere appreciation to Juan de Fuca Search and Rescue, along with over 17 other assisting Search and Rescue agencies from across Vancouver Island and other parts of British Columbia, for their significant search efforts over the last 9 days,” Acting Sooke RCMP Detachment Commander Sergeant Kevin Shaw said in a media release.
Police said they found McDevitt’s vehicle parked at the Charters River Hatchery on Dec. 10. The following day, investigators found surveillance video of her entering trails in the area from the parking lot.
On Saturday, Comox Valley Search and Rescue president Paul Berry told Global News volunteers had found no sign of the missing woman.
“Not a single clue has been located to provide any indication of the whereabouts of Melissa,” Berry said at the time.
“We know that Melissa, although an avid hiker, had mobility issues. She also knew she had limited daylight when she set out.”
Mounties say McDevitt was wearing a burgundy-coloured long-sleeved top, blue pants and carrying a pair of hiking poles when she left the parking lot.
She is five feet tall, slim, weighs about 105 pounds and has alopecia but may be wearing a wig or have short, dyed, rainbow-coloured hair.
Police said she may initially appear to show signs of cognitive delay.
RCMP say they continue to investigate her disappearance, and anyone with information is asked to call 250-642-5241.