(WXMI) — After receiving multiple tips about a specific location, the family of Richard Hitchcock has begun searching for his remains in Allegan.
Richard Hitchcock disappeared on December 22, 1990, after leaving the Riverfront Lounge in Allegan. His family recently started digging at an undisclosed location following a third tip they received after the property owner passed away.
"If this ends up being our spot and this brings us Richie and his remains, we know," Kellie Boers, Richard's cousin, said.
The family has received tips about this specific location for eight years, with the most recent one coming earlier this year.
"The homeowner passed away and we were contacted again with this third tip. I went to the home and I asked if we could come and do it. And they said yes," Boers said.
After weeks of planning, the family brought in search dogs and radar to the location and began digging on Monday.
"The dogs hit both inside and outside. Scent in general will travel through tree roots," Boers said.
The family has worked closely with Allegan cold case detectives on Richard's disappearance since the beginning.
"I have a very vested interest in seeing this hopefully find some closure for the family," Officer Matt Luyk of the Allegan Police Department said. "If we find any human remains, we would take those as evidence and send them off to a forensic lab to get tested."
Richard was last seen leaving the Riverfront Lounge in Allegan on December 22, 1990. He was asked to leave the bar and did. He has not been seen since. Over three decades of tips have poured in, but so far no answers.
"The family's resolve has never wavered, never wavered in 35 years. Any tips they've gotten, they have exhausted all efforts trying to determine whether or not they were valid. This is no different," Luyk said.
The family will continue looking in the same location in hopes of finding evidence of Richard over the next few weeks.
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