10.05am: The helicopter rescue crew searching for a missing US woman in the Deua National Park says search conditions have improved since Sunday, but the dense tree canopy is slowing the search.
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The US family of Alyce Tidball have appealed for help to find the 65-year-old, who did not return from a bushwalk on Saturday afternoon.
Anna Tidball appealed on Facebook: “My mother, Alyce Tidball has been missing for over 30 hours. She was walking on her own in Deua River, Australia and got lost. Her phone died- please help find her.”
Westpac Life Saver Rescue CEO Stephen Leahy said the crew searching on Monday does not miss Sunday’s high winds.
“Conditions for searching are ideal today,” Mr Leahy said.
“There are clear skies and light winds. Yesterday was very turbulent and made searching for the helicopter crew difficult and uncomfortable.”
The crew searched for about three hours on Sunday until it became too dark at about 6.30pm.
Mr Leahy said the search area was in dense forest.
“For us, it is low and slow flying, so that we are able to spend time looking down through the tree canopy,” he said.
“That search will continue through the day.
Everyone is hoping for and expecting a positive outcome. There is no reason at this stage to anticipate anything other than a positive outcome, (but) the longer the lady remains missing, the potential for a poor outcome grows.”
9.30am: Police and emergency services are on Monday continuing the search for a US woman missing in the Deau River valley for two nights.
Temperatures plunged overnight on Sunday, May 1, after a warm day and there are increasing concerns for the 65-year-old woman’s welfare.
A Deua resident said the temperature had dropped to 5 degrees overnight.
An SES crew of 20 and 18 other volunteers are combing the Duea National Park and a command centre has been set up on the Araluen Road, about 18 kms west of Moruya.
It is understood the woman went missing during a bushwalk.
The Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter is continuing searching the area on Monday, May 2.
Ground crews include members of the Volunteer Rescue Association, the Rural Fire Service and members of the public.
The United States national was last seen about 3pm on Saturday, April 30, after leaving for a bushwalk in the Deua Valley River.
She was reported missing about 9am on Sunday when she failed to return.
Police from the Far South Coast, with assistance from the SES and the Westpac helicopter, commenced a wide-scale land and air search in the vicinity of the Deua National Park on Sunday.
The woman is described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 178cm tall, of solid build, with short blonde hair.
She was last seen wearing Capri-style pants and a light-coloured top.
More details as they come to hand.
Anyone with information or anyone who may have seen the woman is urged to come forward.
Police are urging anyone with information in relation to this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au/ Information you provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence. Police remind people they should not report crime information via police Facebook and Twitter pages.