She had hitched a ride to the area where she planned to visit a family friend and was dropped off at the corner of North West Road and Winjardie Road, about 11 kilometres east of the Bandgingarra townsite but has not been seen since. State crime Acting Commander Scott Higgins said police were speaking to a number of people in relation to the case Credit:Aleisha Orr The search was sparked by a new lead uncovered after a regular review of the case by the state crime squad. In addition to the large scale search, which could take up to a week, police have begun questioning a number of people and expect to speak with more in the coming days. The semi-rural property that is being searched has been visited by police previously as part of the case and some of the people police are talking to have also been questioned previously.

Police said they would not release details about the people they are speaking to. Hayley was last seen walking on North West Road, with the last witness reporting seeing her about 5 kilometres east of Badgingarra Road. State crime squad Acting Commander Scott Higgins said police were speaking to a number of people, in relation to the case, but no arrests had been made. "Hayley's disappearance has long been a case that has proven difficult but one that WA Police remain committed to solving," Commander Higgins said. He said the search, which could take weeks, would involve ground-penetrating radar machinery, which could notify searchers to items below the ground.

The current residents of the property are not part of the investigation and did not live at the property in 1999. This is not the first time the search for the teenager has led back to the town. In 2012, Hayley's mother told media she thought a bone found near Badgingarra could be human remains. Her family had hired a cadaver dog to search for her body in the area in 2011. A bone was discovered but it was later identified as that of a sheep. A coronial inquest into Hayley Dodd's disappearance was announced earlier this year and is currently scheduled for January 13-17 next year.

Loading At this stage, is not known if this will be rescheduled. A $250,000 reward for information regarding Hayley's disappearance is still on offer. Follow WAtoday on Twitter