WOODSTOCK, Ont. - Police scoured a vast rural swath of southwestern Ontario Sunday in the search for the remains of eight-year-old Victoria Stafford, as many grieving residents in her hometown turned to their churches for solace.

It marked the fifth day that officers spent looking for the girl's body. Some residents have expressed frustration that the search seems to be dragging on without any significant signs of progress, but police insisted they know more than they're publicly letting on and reiterated a sad reality.

Investigators have very strong reason to believe the little girl is dead and there is no hope of a happy ending for Victoria's family and friends.

"If I were her parent I would want to have that ounce of hope too until I knew 100 per cent," said Const. Laurie-Anne Maitland, in response to a question about whether the inability to find Victoria since she disappeared April 8 offers any hope she could still be alive.

"I think it's the nature (of people to hope for) one possible little miracle ... and it's not (possible)."

Police revealed more information Sunday about the suspect vehicle they believe Victoria was abducted in, a 2003 blue Honda Civic that had been partially spray painted black.

On Friday, police asked residents of Woodstock, Guelph and Fergus to jog their memories and think if they had ever seen the distinctive-looking car, perhaps in a Home Depot parking lot where it was filmed by a security camera.

Now they're hoping someone will find its grey rear seat, which had been removed.

If it's found, police are asking it not be touched and be covered and protected from the elements as it could become a key piece of evidence.

Maitland acknowledged the local community might be frustrated that previous appeals for help did not result in Victoria being discovered and said police share the same emotions.

"It's a very detailed and tedious task to search a very large rural area," she said, adding the search radius covers the span of a 50-minute drive from Guelph.

"I can certainly say it is frustrating to have this case -- that we know has an unhappy ending -- and we're still looking to find Victoria to provide closure to her family."

Victoria, who was affectionately known as Tori to family and friends, went missing after school.

It was on Wednesday that police announced charges had been laid against two people, signalling for the first time that they believed the girl was dead.

Michael Rafferty, 28, is charged with first-degree murder and abduction while Terri-Lynne McClintic, 18, is charged with abduction and being an accessory.

The two suspects are scheduled to appear in court Thursday.

Court documents suggest Victoria was killed on the day or shortly after she was abducted.

Since the arrests, officers have been combing rural areas north of Guelph, about an hour outside Woodstock, with the help of McClintic.

A court order allowing the woman to assist investigators in the field expires Sunday night.

McClintic's lawyer was unavailable for comment, making it unclear whether she participated in the search on Sunday, or if an extension of the court order would be sought.

Police still refuse to acknowledge that McClintic has acted in the search, despite video and photographic evidence showing it to be true.

"I can't comment as far as having help or not having help, because we've not responded to anything to do with that -- that didn't come from the police," Maitland said when asked about McClintic's impact on the search.

Across Woodstock Sunday, churchgoers sought comfort in the words of priests and reverends as the search continued.

Several churches had signs asking the public to pray for Victoria's family, including the College Ave. United Church, where the little girl and her brother went to Sunday school.

Rev. David Duncan said Sunday's service was a difficult one for the congregation, as they came to grips with the fact that the girl they had seen in the church was now believed to be dead.

Victoria had taken part in a Palm Sunday parade just days before she went missing and was a familiar face to many, Duncan said.

"Certainly it has really hit the church family hard, we've been trying to do what we can to support and reach out with comfort to the family," he said.

"It has hit home, too close to home."

Duncan said many parishioners have asked to speak with him privately to help deal with their grief, especially in recent days, since the case was officially designated as a murder.

"Just by their body language, or the tears (you can tell) that they really are sad, or have questions, or are angry," he said.

"But I was hoping that people would be able to know that God was with them and that his love was greater than even this evil."