Without a wife, without a mother and without a grandmother, one Belmont family managed to make it through a year of heart-wrenching holidays, birthdays and anniversaries with little more than a shred of hope that their loved one is still alive.
One year ago, Belmont resident Nancy MacDuckston vanished, leaving her family and a successful day care center behind. With the absence of media attention, the family is slowly and quietly dealing with the void as police continue to follow the few leads they have.
"To be realistic, they are looking and hoping for that one clue or that one hint that might lead to something. As time goes on you cling to that," said Mike Aydelott, a friend acting as spokesman for the MacDuckston family.
Nancy MacDuckston was 52 when she disappeared Aug. 11, the day she took a trip to the small coastal town of Davenport in Santa Cruz County. She was last seen by a waitress at a Davenport restaurant having dinner with an unidentified man.
Police plan to return to Davenport Wednesday to pass out new fliers about MacDuckston and sketches of the mystery man. Working on the assumption that people are likely to follow old patterns, like vacationing at the same location every year, police hope to find more information about the man, Belmont police Sgt. Dan DeSmidt said Friday.
Meanwhile, the MacDuckston family will mark the anniversary quietly. There are no public memorials or vigils planned.
"One year later, they seem to be just in the very early stages of the healing process and the anniversary date is a different time for them because it's bringing a lot of hurt to the surface," DeSmidt said.
In June, the family attended a dedication of a rose garden at Carlmont Parent Nursery in Belmont where MacDuckston was the director. After her disappearance, many co-workers and parents volunteered in the search efforts across San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties.
The case is still open and active with a detective working on it, but leads are now slow. The case will remain active until police can close it or explain the disappearance, DeSmidt said.
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"We've never been able to rule out anything and that's what makes this case so unique for the investigators," DeSmidt said.
MacDuckston's adult daughter last saw her at her Belmont home in the 2000 block of Belle Monte Avenue Aug. 11 at approximately 8:30 a.m. Her husband, Bruce MacDuckston, reported her missing at approximately 9 a.m. the next day.
MacDuckston's tan 2001 Mazda MPV minivan turned up on U.S. Highway 101 near Davenport in Santa Cruz County two days later. Her sunglasses were found on a nearby cliff but a search of the area revealed no other clues. The area is known for its dangerous tides.
MacDuckston is one of a handful of active missing person cases in Belmont since 1977. The most recent was the 1996 case of Ylva Hagner who went missing from her Palo Alto job. Unlike MacDuckston, police had reason to believe Hagner's disappearance was at the hands of a friend or family member, someone who didn't like her, DeSmidt said.
Both the family and police agree the key to their case resides with the unknown man last seen with MacDuckston.
"He may see something and contact the police in one way or another. It just takes one good lead and things could change," Aydelott said.
Anyone with information about the case or the unidentified man is encouraged to call the Belmont Police Department at 595-7400.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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