Venus Stewart Update: Police Search Near In-Laws' Property for Missing Woman

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Mich. (CBS/WWMT) About 30 police officers walked for miles looking for Venus Stewart, the Michigan mother who has been missing since April and is presumed dead, but they found no sign of the woman.

PICTURES: Venus Stewart Missing

Stewart went missing from the front yard of her parents' Colon Township home; her estranged husband, Doug Stewart, has been charged with her murder, despite the fact that her body has not been found.

The search for Venus picked up again on Thursday as investigators searched an area south of Doug Stewart's parents' home.

The area behind Doug Stewart's family property is 180 acres, most of it farm fields, but about 70 acres of that area is thick brush.

"It's so thick right now we could go over the grave site and not know it," Michigan State Trooper Felix Ambris told CBS affiliate WWMT.

Ambris was overseeing Thursday's search, which included officers from the state police, local city police, and the FBI.

Some of the areas hit during Thursday's search have been gone over before, but investigators wanted to make sure that nothing was missed.

Finding Venus' body is important to police and the family, but they believe the case against Doug Stewart is solid even without it. They say there's another reason they are out searching.

"It's more important for the family," said Det. Ambris to WWMT. "That's why we are going to do anything we can to ding it, find the body for them."

Police say they will continue looking, but have not specified where or when.

Story Contributed by CBS Affiliate WWMT

Complete Coverage of Venus Stewart on Crimesider