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Volunteers Ready For Largest Search Yet For Stebic

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Volunteers Ready For Largest Search Yet For Stebic

Hundreds To Comb Silver Springs State Park

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CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli and WBBM 780 contributed to this report.
PLAINFIELD, Ill. (CBS) ― Lisa Stebic disappeared from her west suburban Plainfield home on April 30. Several searches and national attention that's included an article in "People" magazine have turned up nothing.

But Saturday Plainfield police, along with Stebic's family and friends, hope to find out what happened once and for all.

As CBS 2 West Suburban Bureau Chief Mike Puccinelli reports, their search for clues will be bigger and better than ever before.

It will be the biggest search for Stebic since she disappeared more than two months ago. Craig Stebic, Lisa's husband, has not spoken with police since the ninth day after her disappearance. When he did speak to authorities, he never mentioned Silver Springs State Park in Yorkville – one of the reasons, CBS 2 is told, a search will take place there.

Hundreds of volunteers and professional searchers plan to fan out across the more than 1,300 acres of the park. Earlier, volunteers found bones in that park, but they turned out to be deer bones.

"Let's go through the park with a fine-toothed comb and either dispel it or prove that there's something out there," said Plainfield Police Department Operations Commander Mike Altenhoff.

The Stebics used to visit the park on a regular basis. That's what caused Stebic's boss to lead four smaller searches of the park in recent weeks. She's pleased the Plainfield police are spearheading this search.

"This is what we've been waiting for is that to get national attention and to get as many people out there as we can," said Kim Young.

Young says psychics have led her to believe Stebic might be in the park.

"If she is there with all the people and all the volunteers – thank you – I'm sure we will find her," Young said.

Police plan to divide the park into grids. They hope to search the entire park before wrapping up at two o'clock. Professional searchers will be using horses and dogs.

"We're working on two to three cadaver dog teams to stand by," Altenhoff said. "You know, it's been eight weeks. A reasonable person will tell you that Lisa's probably not going to walk out of that park."

CBS 2 stopped by the Stebics' house Friday to try and find out if Craig Stebic would be joining the search, but got no answer.

Altenhoff says he'd be surprised if Craig Stebic shows up.

"He says to media outlets, he says to his family that he's cooperating and yet he hasn't appeared," he said. "He appeared at one vigil and, from my understanding, that's at the prodding of some of the family and friends to get him to go to that. He hasn't attended any of the searches. He doesn't appear to be a man that's really interested."

Plainfield police said Lisa Stebic's credit cards and cell phone have not been used since her disappearance, and the case remains a missing persons case.

Recently on a blog about Lisa Stebic, an anonymous poster wrote of a development that will generate headlines next week.

CBS 2 asked Altenhoff about the chances that Craig Stebic will be named a person of interest in the disappearance of his wife. Altenhoff said it was "something we continually talk about."

Any decision will be based partly on the result of forensic evidence currently being tested in the state crime lab.

Those interested in volunteering for the search Saturday are asked to call (815) 439-4803, or arrive at the Kendall County Fairgrounds at 9 a.m.

(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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