sarx
Verified Expert/Professional in SAR and K9SAR
Judy, I'm not SAR but I think the assumption by some that the dogs went the wrong way and the witnesses were clueless is more likely a wrong assumption.
I outlined such a route on post #447 on page http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=234995&page=18 that would fit the idea that the witnesses did indeed see her, the dogs did indeed track her correctly, and that she took most of her hour-ish walk she had planned BEFORE detouring at the last minute to the place where she met her end.
On that post there's a map noted and linked, in that post 447, to the shortest possible route using those parameters, one that would fit both time and also conform to witness statements and dogs. In addition, she had time to make a bit bigger loop or for her to take detours off of that basic route.
And, if they did go her route taken, they may have missed her in the tree cuz that's not the smell they're trained for, this is when it can fall on the handler to know their dog so well, that they know when the dog has lost the scent, then to have the foresight to look up and around for her, and if they weren't thinking suicide when they started on the trail, then they may very well never have thought to look up, and that would be totally understandable and they would have just assumed either they were on a old/bad trail or she got picked up or something like that. This is why it is so hard with dogs, they are excellent tools, but there unless they walk you right up to the person, it is entirely up to the handler to interpret the findings or lack there of what the dog did or did not do.