Missing Holly Ellsworth-Clark walked by her own poster on Feb. 3, family says
Police can't verify the woman is Holly, which means they only have evidence from Jan. 11, the day she left
A healthy-looking Holly Ellsworth-Clark wore jeans and a sweater on Feb. 3, her family and friends say, when a security camera caught her walking right past one of the thousands of posters they plastered across Hamilton in their month-long hunt to find her.
But police aren't so sure the video shows the missing woman.
The Newfoundland-born, Calgary-raised woman left her home in Hamilton, Ont., more than a month ago on Jan. 11 and has been the subject of an intense search ever since.
The grainy, black and white video viewed by CBC News shows a woman who appears to be Holly walking along a line of vehicles near Wentworth Street and Shaw Street with what appears to be a different outfit — but the woman has a similar build and walk seen in clips of Holly from Jan. 11.
While the family is certain the woman in the video is their missing daughter, lead detective John Obrovac tells CBC News there's not enough evidence in the video to confirm it's her.
If it is, the video would be the first piece of evidence that moves the investigation beyond the day she disappeared. But it would leave an almost 3 week gap.
Elle McFearsin, one of the leaders of the search effort, tells CBC News after seeing the new footage that she believes shows Holly passing by her own poster, she's not sure what to think.
"It just doesn't make sense ... did she see it?" McFearsin says.
"We see this clip, we see what might be Holly but we don't know what's going on behind the scenes."
The new video of the 27-year-old's disappearance leaves her family with more questions than answers.
"We had so much hope when we saw that footage," McFearsin says.
WATCH | The last confirmed sighting of Holly Ellsworth-Clark
The team says they have found more than 10 other clips from security footage — but all of them show the 6'1 and 200 pound missing woman walking outside on Jan. 11, the day she left her home near Sanford Avenue North and Cannon Street.
Officers say Holly was "in crisis" when she left at about 4:15 p.m. on that rainy afternoon, without most of her belongings and no cover for the storm.
Police have used the K9 unit, Ground Search and Rescue, the Criminal Investigative Division and their Patrol and Action unit to find Holly over the past month.
Obravac says the new video prompted officers to canvass the area after seeing the footage on Feb. 4, but didn't find anything.
Investigators don't believe this case is linked to foul play.
Family starts GoFundMe campaign amid dwindling funds
The Clark family and the roughly 35 others who've helped search have spent thousands of dollars to keep the hunt for Holly alive, by flying across Canada, paying expenses back home, missing work and renting as many as six Airbnbs at once.
The family launched GoFundMe campaign which has raised more than $3,700 as of Monday afternoon.
If Holly is found before all the donations are spent, the remaining balance will go toward local charities.
Anyone with information can call the police at 905-546-3816.
The Clark family is also accepting tips at [email protected].
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