Search for missing woman in Sooke scaling back until big push this weekend

The search for a woman missing in the Sooke Hills park area of Vancouver Island has been scaled back to give crews a break after five days of searching.

Another large-scale ground and air search is planned for this weekend, involving police and search and rescue teams from across B.C.

The search for 38-year-old Melissa McDevitt began on Dec. 10, after she failed to arrive for a scheduled flight from Victoria to Vancouver.

The last time she spoke with her family was on Dec. 8, and on Dec. 10 her vehicle was found abandoned at the Sooke Potholes west of Victoria.

Melissa McDevitt is pictured on a surveillance camera at the Sooke Potholes on Dec. 9. (Sooke RCMP)

On Thursday, a member of the RCMP K-9 unit searched the dense forest in the Todd Creek area looking for McDevitt.

Her father also arrived from the U.S. on Tuesday to help with the search.

Comox Valley Search and Rescue president Paul Berry says 15 search and rescue groups will be involved in Saturday's search.

Those teams include more than 100 search and rescue technicians from Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, as well as police dogs.

People are encouraged not to walk their dogs in the area on the weekend in case it confuses search dogs.

The search begins at 8 a.m.