Family not giving up in search for elderly woman missing more than a week

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A group of volunteers is refusing to give up hope in their search to find a missing elderly woman with dementia.

Yolanda Howell, 78, was last seen more than a week ago at her home in south suburban Country Club Hills. Her family said they are holding on to hope of finding her safe, but acknowledged that time is running out.

An intense emergency search effort that involved multiple agencies, including the Lake County Sheriff's office and even Chicago Police, lasted for hours on Wednesday as volunteers – both in the air and on the ground – searched for Howell.

Police were led by K-9 unis following her scent to a parking lot near a walking trail. A short time later, the scent went cold.

Relatives said the last time anyone saw Howell was Oct. 8, when she was seen by a mail carrier walking near her home at 187th and Cedar.

Howell was also captured on surveillance Ring footage from a neighbor's camera.

Her family said she suffers from dementia, which was getting progressively worse over the years. Relatives said she has a habit of leaving the house she shared with her husband while he was asleep, and she would wander around the neighborhood.

She would sometimes walk into neighbors' homes, and go to sleep in an empty bed.

On Wednesday, independent search crews – with assistance from multiple law enforcement agencies – were led to the Tinley Creek Trail on Flossmoor Road by after K-9 units traced her scent there. It led to a wide-scale search that came up empty.

"It's a needle in a haystack. We have to just keep on searching. Hopefully, you know, with the elements that we've been through in the past week, it's very, very hard, but time is of the essence, and hopefully we're able to find her before it's too late," said Team Canine member Lorenzo Longoria.

Considering the nine days that have now passed, and the recent drop in temperatures outside, the family is growing concerned that time is running out.

"We are just trying to be strong. It's hard to continue to have hope, considering that it is so cold and I know she does not have a coat," said Howell's daughter, Claudette Edwards.

Edwards might be exhausted, but she has no plans on slowing down the search for her mom.

"She is the light of our life. She's our all. She wouldn't harm a fly. We just want her back," Edwards said.

In addition to the ground search, volunteers have also been visiting nearby hospitals and homeless shelters in hopes of finding Howell. Her family has asked anyone who's seen her to call the Country Club Hills Police Department at 708-798-3191.