I agree with Darling about the dogs. I take my 3 dogs when visiting my parents, they are familiar with the home after staying there a few times a years and can stay there alone if we all leave the house. Their dogs may get upset when they leave the house especially if no relatives were home at the time. In addition as an owner of sled dogs, they have a husky known to be howlers and talkers. The dogs would be happy sitting in the car. While they got something to eat. They were familiar with the car and the scents in it.
Not unusual for a family to hire a psychic, if they have nothing to go on. However a psychic can NOT pin point anything exact. i.e may see harm came to them in a car accident, or see the car going off the road, but will not be able to pinpoint exactly where etc.
The snow in Utica can be brutal this time a year, so it most likely snowed since the 5th or 6th therefore would no way of seeing car tire tracks veering off a road it would be covered now.
There is nothing to date saying he was AWOL. The poster stated vacationing in NY. Could the family member have misunderstood that they are going to head back to NC? and stop along the way to see things ? or travel on to other areas of the country vacationing before returning to NC. They would have no need to call home. Maybe he was transferred to another military base or may be and they wanted to go and look for a place to live ahead of time. There is also no mention of whether or not they took their suitcases with them or left their things behind. One thing with military personnel they have friends all over the place that they visit where ever they go.
The Honda looks like a small SUV so not so small for dogs.