Hamilton police release new video of missing woman Holly Ellsworth-Clark

In another effort to end the more than two week search for Holly Ellsworth-Clark, Hamilton police released a new video of a woman matching her description walking in Hamilton.

The Clark family tells CBC News police had grainy video of someone wearing black in a park near Sanford Avenue North, prompting both parties to hit the sidewalks and look for evidence this week.

A member of the family's civilian search squad received the footage and sent it to police, who released it Friday.

The new security video shows a woman walking northbound on Wentworth Street toward Shaw Street about 50 minutes after Holly left her home near Sanford Avenue North and Cannon Street on Jan. 11.

The woman who appears to be the 6'1, 200-pound missing 27-year-old is walking in the rain, wearing what appears to be a rain poncho with black pants and black boots, while carrying a black garbage bag that seems full.

"It sure gave us a lot of heart to see Holly walking along with all that determination and taking care of herself," Dave Clark, Holly's father, tells CBC News.

"I know some people seeing their child wearing a garbage bag might be disconcerted but ... she's taking care of herself."

Greta, Holly's mother, says they've used garbage bags as rain cover before during camping, canoe trips and folk festivals.

Hamilton Police say this is the last confirmed sighting of Holly, who investigators believe was "in crisis" the day she disappeared.

The service's ACTION unit will be out today on Wentworth Street looking for evidence and searching for more video cameras.

Nearby police services law also received a zone alert to make them aware of Holly's disappearance.

"We'll be doing a a general search [of Wentworth Street], knocking on homes and asking questions," Hamilton Police Const. Lorraine Edwards tells CBC News.

'This changes things'

Though, Dave says the new video changes things for their search strategy, even if the video is from the day she left.

"It shows she's not just running in a panic, distraught, getting soaked in a very cold rain," he says.

"It shows she's got her wits about her, a little bit at least, and maybe fully, we don't really know whether she's gone off after a mental breakdown or if she's completely in her right mind ... but she's walking along with her usual determined stride there. She's still herself."

Dave and Greta also don't know what Holly could be lugging in the garbage bag slung over her shoulder.

"We had never been to her room before she went missing," Dave says.

Officers urge residents around Wentworth Street toward Shaw Street to review any surveillance footage for Holly, noting the poncho and garbage bag.

The Clark family is asking people with dashcam footage near the area from Jan. 11 to reach out.

'It sure gave us a lot of heart to see Holly'

The new surveillance video comes as Holly's family was mulling over whether to expand their search outside of Hamilton, toward Toronto and Montreal.

Volunteers have plastered posters across the Greater Toronto Area and Niagara region in hopes of finding her.

While The Clark family is still looking to spread awareness across the province, they're placing more effort back into Hamilton amid the new evidence.

The hunt to find Holly has gained attention across Hamilton and her hometown, Calgary, with billboards of her face popping up in both cities.

After proving herself as a champion amateur wrestler in Calgary, she graduated from the University of Calgary in 2016 with a degree in political science.

Halfway through her schooling, Dave introduced Holly to music, leading her to move to Toronto in 2018 and pursue it as a career.

She moved to Hamilton in October 2019 the end of a relationship and her band, which Holly described as a mix of Velvet Underground and 90s grunge.

"I think most of my songs that are really important to me come from feeling discomfort and being like, 'shoot, I'm not being honest with something in my life,' " she said in an interview with The Underground Listener.

"My music is really emotionally driven and I'm trying to be as honest about my internal conflicts that I'm basing, I don't want to tell half the story. I want to tell the whole truth of what I'm feeling."

Anyone with information can call the police at 905-546-3816.

The Clark family is also accepting tips at bringhollyhome2020@gmail.com.