Nothing found in Tuesday's search for missing woman Catherine Brady

State Park Police came up empty Tuesday as they returned to Hempstead Lake State Park to resume a search for a woman who has been missing since Father's Day.

Det. Sgt. Thomas Duignan of the Park Police said an expanded search, the second in the West Hempstead park for Catherine Brady, 28, lasted almost seven hours and will resume at 6 a.m. Wednesday.

Tuesday's search was expanded to include nearly all of the park; originally, authorities said they searched an area 2 miles in radius near North Pond on July 6 and 7 after a friend of the woman reported her missing.

Duignan said the expanded search came about after Park Police spent more than a week interviewing friends and associates of Brady, who was living in the park and last had an address in Garden City.

"We had hoped we'd find her somewhere, maybe staying with a friend," Duignan said. "When that didn't bring us anywhere, we said, 'let's go look at the park again.' "

Brady has not been seen since June 16, but her male companion did not report her as missing until July 6. It is unclear why the man did not report the disappearance earlier, but he is not considered a suspect, police said, and foul play is not suspected.

Duignan said police have been in contact with Brady's mother and companion almost daily, and the list of people to interview was provided by them.

Duignan said interviews reached deep into Brady's past, back to friends at Kellenberg Memorial High School in Uniondale.

"We spoke to people as far away as Pennsylvania," Duignan said Tuesday. "We interviewed anyone who has seen or known her recently.

"Each time it's been a dead end," he said.

Tuesday's search began at about 5 a.m. and ended about noon. It included a canine unit from New York State Police, a ground search by 20 State Police troopers and 20 Park Police officers, plus all-terrain vehicles roaming the park.

Police are likely to search again Wednesday, Duignan said, and the goal is to cover the entire park, nearly 750 acres. "It's going to take at least a couple of days because of the heat," he said.

Duignan said State Police conducted a helicopter search of the park on Monday; Nassau County police provided an air search on July 7. Also, during the initial search, divers went into North Pond, where Brady was last seen.

Duignan said the heat and humidity make it especially difficult for dogs to search; for every half-hour of search time the animals need a half-hour of rest, he said.

Anyone with information can anonymously call police at 631-669-2500.