Daughter Of Hiker Missing Since July Wants Closure

LAFAYETTE, Colo. (CBS4)  - It's been months since she disappeared and there is still no sign of a missing woman from Lafayette.

Authorities don't suspect foul play, but they're frustrated by the lack of leads, and so is the woman's daughter.

Patricia Wallace disappeared while hiking a trail in Boulder County last July. Wallace's daughter Katie Moore just arrived in town from the East Coast for what could be the family's last chance to find answers.

"There's just this void," Moore said.

After three and a half months Moore still hasn't said goodbye to her mother.

"I have to realize more and more every day the finality that I will never see her again," Moore said.

Wallace came to Colorado from Pennsylvania 25 years ago seeking a new life. Smiling pictures with her daughter and grandchildren show the results.

"She took up photography, she starting hiking, traveling all over the world," Moore said. "I am really grateful at how happy she clearly was living out here."

On July 3 the 74-year-old woman disappeared while hiking along the Buchanan Pass. She separated from her friends to hike a different trail and was never seen again.

"Still I think all the time about things we would be talking about now; things I would have called her about."

Moore has come back to her mother's Lafayette home from Pennsylvania seeking closure.

"I don't feel like I can grieve without the body," Moore said. "I'm not naive enough to think she's alive somewhere … I just feel like I need that proof."

Rocky Mountain Rescue crews have scoured more than 17 miles of trails. Sgt. Dave Booton with the Boulder County Sheriff's Office says teams are still searching targeted areas every weekend. With winter approaching, crews have a new urgency.

"We want a conclusion just as much as the family does," Booton said.

Moore will stay in Colorado until Saturday. She and her mom's friends are still praying for answers.