Search Underway for Clues In Nicole Hoar Case

By 250 News

One group of searchers  is given details on area they will be checking ( photos Opinion250 staff)

More than 60 volunteers turned out to take part in a search of the transfer station on the Norman Lake Road  30 kilometers west of Prince George this  morning, looking for clues in the disappearance of Nicole Hoar. The 25 year old from Red Deer  was  working as a tree planter in the Prince George area in June of 2002 when she disappeared.  She was last seen  hitch-hiking on Highway 16 west, heading to Smithers.

Private Investigator Ray Michalko of the lower mainland organized the search based on  information he has been  able to gather  over the past  year and a half.  He says the same information kept  surfacing, and it lead him to concentrate a search  in the area of the  dump.

Michalko  was reluctant to say the  search today was for  the Red Deer woman, but  Nicole’s family  traveled from Red Deer to take part in  today’s search. Nicole’s father John (shown in picture at right  wearing the ball cap) says today is a difficult one "It brings back a lot of very painful memories" says John "But it is important to be here to support  what Ray (Michalko) is doing." 

John Hoar says  Michalko  has done a great deal of work on the case "The RCMP are doing mostly  data compiling at this point, and  Ray is  out there, talking to people, he has come up with  some information which  he believes is strong  enough to bring us here. As you know,   our daughter is not the only one missing, the RCMP are investigating 9 disappearances or deaths,  but Amnesty International says there may be as many as 30."

All who  turned out today to assist in the search were  required to sign in, and produce photo identification. 

The search area was  set up in four  sections.  Yellow ribbons marked the boundaries, and searchers were set out in a  line with their  walking sticks and ski poles to  move through the bush.

Although Michalko did not  issue any specific request for  the RCMP to  take part in today’s search, there was one RCMP Constable on hand.  He says  he  was merely there to be of assistance  in the event  something was discovered.  His role would be to ensure  the evidence  was properly handled but he was not holding hope searchers would find anything "If we (the RCMP) thought there was reason to believe there would be something here,  we would be conducting the search ourselves."

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