Police have begun digging for the body of missing mum-of-three Michelle Gunshon.
Officers have excavated land on a country lane just off the motorway near Frankley in Birmingham.
They have also checked the soil type found on security guard Michelle's car against the earth around Edgbaston Reservoir in Ladywood.
Both searches have returned negative results for detectives investigating the whereabouts of the 38-year-old from Mill Hill, north London.
She disappeared while staying at The Dubliner pub in Digbeth, Birmingham, when she was working at Clotheshow Live at the National Exhibition Centre on December 4. Her car was found yards away from where she left it at the side of the pub.
Traces of her blood were found in the car and outside, including the boot, leading them to fear she was attacked.
Property from her room went missing at the time of her disappearance.
Police are appealing for information about Irishman Martin Stafford, aged late 30s, who was staying at the pub at the time of her disappearance.
Unemployed Stafford was snapped behind the wheel of Michelle's H-reg blue Escort by two speed cameras hours after she went missing.
First he was seen driving along the Bristol Road, by Belgrave Middleway, into the city at 8.20am on Sunday.
The second time he was seen driving along the Hagley Road, again towards the city centre, at 9.08am.
Officers believe he may have turned down Monument Road from the Hagley Road, and they have searched the area around Edgbaston Reservoir.
They are appealing for information about Stafford, who has stayed in Birmingham frequently for a number of weeks at a time, and want to speak with anyone who may have been in a relationship with him.
It is believed he had one or two girlfriends in the city.
DCI Andy Hough, leading the investigation, said: "We have done a search down a country lane near Junction 3 on the M5.
"This is the first obvious spot to stop as you are leaving the city which may allow someone to park up for 10 minutes or so and feel comfortable that they were not going to be seen.
"The search proved to be negative, but we will continue to use our own knowledge of Birmingham to check other isolated spots, while we await specific results from tests being carried out by our experts on the soil found on Michelle's car.
"We have also checked the soil type around Edgbaston Reservoir."
It is believed that Stafford left for Dublin from Digbeth Coach Station shortly after Michelle's disappearance. West Midlands cops are planning to visit the Irish capital.
