Searchers hope cameras will help find elderly hiker in Peninsula hills
PORTOLA VALLEY — Searchers continued to scour the Peninsula hills near Portola Valley on Saturday in an attempt to find a missing 79-year-old woman — and are hoping people’s cameras could help locate her.
Margaret “Elaine” McKinley was hiking on the Lost Trail of the Windy Hill Open Space Preserve when she was last seen on Thursday, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.
An estimated 150 search and rescue personnel are looking for McKinley, who has dementia, the Sheriff’s Office stated.
“The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office is asking all residents who live near the Windy Hill Open Space Preserve to check their cameras starting on Thursday, May 1, at 10 a.m.,” the county public safety agency said.
McKinley was wearing a red jacket and black pants when last she was seen. She became separated from her family when she went missing.
People who find McKinley on their cameras are asked to fill out an online form to help searchers.
“Any sightings, or lack of sightings, on camera footage will help aid in the search,” the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department stated. “If you see Elaine on your cameras, please call 911 immediately in addition to filling out the form.”
Teams were conducting grid searches of the 1,400-acre preserve on Saturday. The Sheriff’s Office noted that the 48-hour mark had been passed since McKinley disappeared.
“The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and partners have deployed extensive resources to assist the search, including the Sheriff’s Office airplane, drones, K-9s including the Sheriff’s Office new tracking and trailing bloodhounds, horses, bicycles, off-road motorcycles, and more,” the Sheriff’s Office stated.
The California Office of Emergency Services also deployed a special airplane to assist in the search.
San Mateo County officials issued a mutual aid request. Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Joaquin and Sonoma Counties personnel joined the search efforts.
“Residents and visitors should expect an increased law enforcement presence in and around the Windy Hill Open Space Preserve,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “The parking lot off Portola Road remains closed to the public. The preserve remains open to the public and can be accessed through entrances off Skyline Boulevard.”