The body of an 86-year-old woman who was reported missing Saturday evening was found yesterday in a ditch near the entrance to Diamond Head Crater.

A police helicopter spotted the body of Elaine Uyeda about 10:10 a.m. in a drainage area off the main access road to the crater. An autopsy will be performed, but foul play is not suspected, said Officer Phil Camero of the police missing persons detail.

Uyeda suffered from Alzheimer's disease and was last seen at her McCorriston Street home in Kapahulu about 4:50 p.m. Saturday. Police were notified at 6:15 p.m. that she was missing and a search began.

Camero said Uyeda had wandered before and had been found at the Kahala Mandarin and Prince Kuhio hotels. He said the focus of the search early on was at the hotels, but he said police also checked the cliff areas of Diamond Head.

The search resumed Sunday morning and later that day police issued a press release with a photograph of Uyeda. Yesterday morning, someone reported seeing a woman who resembled Uyeda about 5:30 p.m. Saturday on Diamond Head Road near the lookouts, Camero said.

With the help of a police dog and mounted horse patrol, police searched that area.

"We're very saddened, and we wish we could have found her alive for the family," Camero said. "I really wish we had found her sooner."

He said the autopsy should help to determine how long Uyeda was in the ditch. Camero said one problem was that her body was found on the opposite side of a roadway where people walk into the crater.

Another problem when searching for those who suffer from Alzheimer's or dementia is they often avoid contact with people, he said.

"One of the challenges with Alzheimer's is that if you approach them when they're wandering they shy away from anyone, especially people who are trying to locate and rescue them," Camero said. "So that makes it challenging. They may not only shy away, but hide from them."

Also yesterday, the discovery of the hat of a missing Lana'i man who suffers from dementia prompted additional searches on the Pineapple Isle, officials said.

Crews had been expected to end the formal search Sunday night, officials said, but certain areas were targeted for more searches yesterday after the hat was found.

Search crews and volunteers turned out in force this weekend to try to find Robert "Bobby" Amaral, 77, who was last seen Friday night.