Belmont police renew search for woman missing since '96

BELMONT, Calif. - A yard of a Redwood City home was being searched as part of a renewed effort to solve the 1996 disappearance of Ylva Hagner in Belmont. 

Investigators were trying to find evidence related to the disappearance of Hagner at a home on Farm Hill Boulevard and nearby Stulsaft Park in Redwood City, Belmont Police Lt. Pete Lotti said.

Hagner was 42 when she was last seen at her job with IXOS Software on 6th Avenue in Belmont on October 14, 1996, the San Mateo Daily Journal said. Her black 1992 Honda Civic was found in front of a hotel, not far from her home.

"Our ultimate goal is to bring some closure to the case," said Lotti. "We're searching for evidence."

Investigators could be seen digging in the yard of a single-story green home on Farm Hill Boulevard. Blue tarps lay on the ground.

The home is one block from a neighborhood park. 

"I'm shocked, I just can't even understand what this is about, how it would be connected to a house next to a park that everybody plays at," said neighbor Vicky Costantini. "It's alarming."

The FBI and San Mateo County district attorney are also involved with the case, Lotti said.

The case has "recently been refocused by the Belmont police department," Lotti said, though he would not disclose what prompted authorities to search the grounds of the home.