NORTH UNION TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — The search for the remains of a missing 7-year-old girl from Tampa, Fla., has been put on hold.

Investigators are expected to resume their search in spring when the vegetation in Fayette County is less dense.

Family members of the deceased suspect, Steve Visnosky, say they are completely overwhelmed by the allegations and don’t know the girl who is making them.

They are hoping the investigation will bring answers.

Katherine Longo, the missing girl’s mother, is also searching for answers. She has spent nearly 30 years wondering what happened to her 7-year-old daughter.

Jennifer Marteliz was walking to her Tampa home in 1982 when she went missing.

Her mother has never given up hope, recently writing a book called “Jennifer, Where are you?” in hopes of drawing new attention to the case.

On Thursday, it appeared Longo might finally get some answers when state police, Tampa detectives and a team of anthropologists searched a field in North Union Township where they had reason to believe the young girl’s body may have been buried.

The property used to belong to a man named Steve Visnosky who reportedly traveled back and forth to Florida.

Cadaver dogs scoured the land near where Visnosky used to live and anthropologists used special tools to test the density of the ground.

The search was called off around noon on Friday.

In the meantime, sources say they plan to interview anyone who may have known the suspect to see if they can shed light on investigation.

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