Search For Missing Bay Area Hiker Scales Back: Police

PORTOLA VALLEY, CA — Efforts to find a missing hiker continued for a sixth day, but Tuesday at sunset, the rescue transitioned to a limited continuous search phase, police said.

Margaret “Elaine” McKinley, 79, who has dementia, was last seen Thursday hiking the Lost Trail in the Windy Hill Open Preserve in Portola Valley. She was wearing a red jacket and black pants, police said.

In the next phase of the search, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and the Midpenninsula Regional Open Space District will continue to deploy resources.

Since Thursday, over 500 search and rescue volunteers have scoured over 3,000 miles in search of McKinley. On Tuesday, more than 80 search and rescue personnel from Marin, Merced, Placer, Santa Clara, Shasta, Yolo and Nevada counties assisted San Mateo County using drones, horses, K-9s, planes, bikes, motorcycles and mapping software to find McKinley. There have been no reported sightings, police said.

“I am proud of the enormous collaborative efforts by Sheriff's Office personnel and volunteers, along with specialized search and rescue personnel from around the state to search for Elaine,” said Sheriff Christina Corpus.

Police said they have reviewed more than 25 trail cameras and dozens of community members' doorbell cameras after the SMC Sheriff’s Office put out a request.

Anyone with sightings or information is asked to call 9-1-1. The police said they will continue sharing noteworthy updates but will stop sharing information daily.

McKinley, of Redwood City, was separated from her family while hiking along the Lost Trail in the Windy Hill Preserve and was last seen around noon on Thursday.

At around 2 p.m. on Thursday, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District alerted the SMC Sheriff's Office that a hiker was missing and requested assistance in search and rescue.

California Highway Patrol issued a silver alert, which is activated when an elderly, developmentally or cognitively-impaired person has gone missing and is determined to be at-risk.