THUNDER BAY, Ont. - Searchers are taking advantage of "perfect conditions" as they scour the northern Ontario wilderness in the latest attempt to find a Toronto woman who went missing in 2007.
Christina Calayca, 20, was last seen near Rainbow Falls Provincial Park in August 2007 while going for an early-morning jog during a camping trip with friends.
Several police and volunteer searches failed to find any sign of her.
A Minnesota-based search team, some in wet suits, others with cadaver dogs, spread out along the length of the Whitesand River near Thunder Bay Saturday, where signs of remains were spotted last fall.
The terrain at Rainbow Falls Provincial Park was too slippery to access then.
But search leader Jeff Hasse says conditions for the search this weekend are optimal for both humans and dogs.
"There are hazards in our search area. We've got some steep bluffs, slippery rocks, that sort of thing," Hasse says. "But we've got appropriate equipment to mitigate those risks."
Hasse says preparatory searches began Friday, but the team will execute their search plans from 8 a.m. to dinner time Saturday and Sunday.
The team had not found any physical remains by late Saturday afternoon.
Family members joined 21 searchers as they examined the terrain.
Shortly after her disappearance, Calayca's mother Elizabeth Rutledge said her daughter likely would not have ventured into the park's rugged bush country by choice.
The Minnesota-based team, which specializes in the search for remains, offered their services to the OPP after they were contacted by family members.
The team is comprised of eight different units, including members from Iowa, Illinois and Pennsylvania.
The search continues Sunday.
