RCMP have found what they believe to be the crash site where Gibsons missing woman May Milling's vehicle left the road and plunged into the North Thompson River. But it could be two weeks before an RCMP diver is able to return to the murky water and locate Milling's vehicle.
A Birch Island resident found the missing 81-year-old woman's wallet on the riverbank late Saturday. Clearwater RCMP Cpl. Chris Newel said the discovery narrowed the search area enough that a crash site was found.
"For six weeks we've been covering 500 kilometres of highway," Newel said at a news conference in Kamloops Monday.
"By finding the wallet near or in the North Thompson, it allowed us to take a really close look at those locations where Highway 5 is adjacent to the North Thompson River."
Wells Gray Search and Rescue and the RCMP helicopter from Kamloops set out Sunday morning. Newel said the spot where Milling's 2009 Buick Lucerne crashed was found 40 kilometres north of Clearwater near Mad River.
Pieces of glass and taillight were found at the bottom of a steep, rocky, 30-metre embankment, as were Insurance Corporation of B.C. documents that identified Milling. Newel said the car is believed to be in the river.
An RCMP dive team went into the water Sunday afternoon and searched an area reaching 150 to 200 metres downstream from the crash.
"Unfortunately, the river conditions are very difficult for searching at this time," Newel said. Divers could see less than half a metre in the murky, fast-moving water. The river is three metres deep in places. "They were unable to locate the vehicle," he said.
Divers intend to resume the search when visibility in the water clears during the next couple of weeks. Newel said the Buick might have floated for a short time before taking on water and sinking. Once it hit the bottom, the car likely rolled downstream before getting caught up in an eddy or rocks and coming to rest, he said.
"We will continue to search downstream. Hopefully the water clears up."
Milling was en route to Kamloops from Jasper to visit her long-time friend Jenny John when she disappeared. John told The Daily News on Monday that she's both saddened and relieved by the weekend discovery.
"There is a tremendous sense of relief," she said, adding she now knows what happened to her friend. "The mystery has been solved."
She said the RCMP never faltered in their search for Milling, and she is confident the effort will continue until a body is found.
The accident occurred on a straight stretch of highway when Milling's southbound car veered to the left and off the road. Newel said police found no obvious sign of an accident at roadside.
Milling, who lived in Gibsons, had a heart condition requiring medication. John said her friend might have had a heart attack while driving or swerved to avoid an animal or another vehicle and gone off the road.
Milling was not married and had no children. She left Gibsons Aug. 26 and headed for Grand Forks, Radium, Banff and then on to Jasper, a journey she makes annually.
John last spoke with Milling while she was a guest at a bed and breakfast. Aside from a backache, her friend told her everything was fine, she said.
