Police searching for woman missing since 1996

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Morrow Police are working what they called a "credible tip" into the whereabouts of a woman who went missing more than 20 years ago.

Thirty-two-year-old Buckhead resident Sherri Holland disappeared in 1996.

Officers spent Wednesday searching a wooded area off Duffey Drive in Morrow hoping to find answers in Holland's disappearance.

Cadaver dogs took the lead in the search of an area not too far off Interstate 75 near Jonesboro Road, though the rugged terrain was a challenge for the crews attempted to scour the area for any remains.

Morrow Police Chief James Callaway said a recent tip from a resident who recalled finding a wallet in the wooded area a few years ago led to the search, which was also near where authorities found Holland's car along the freeway.

"The tip that we received said that some of her personal effects were found in these woods behind me," Callaway said at the scene. "On the other side of these woods is I-75 directly where her car was located 22 years ago."

Holland was last seen leaving her home in Flagler Beach, Florida in her 1985 BMW with her two dogs on the morning of August 16, 1996.

Authorities later found her vehicle with a flat tire a week later on I-75 just south of the exit to Morrow. Police recovered her dogs at a Clayton County apartment complex a week later.

GBI Internal Affairs Director Fred Mays was one of the lead detectives during the initial investigation. He joined the search on Wednesday.

"We would love to bring closure to this case and for the family, you know, not knowing where they're loved one is for 22 years," Mays said. "I know it is going to open up new wounds, but it would be great to bring closure to this case."

Investigators are possibly one step closer after dog teams zeroed in on a specific area.

So far soil samples taken from the area have tested negative for human remains. The search is still ongoing.