BUCKEYE, Ariz. — Buckeye police continue their search for a woman who was last seen May 22 after her car broke down and she went to find shade with her nonverbal son.
"Detectives contacted a specialized forensic interviewer who met with the son yesterday and gained additional details, expanding the search further north of the highway," Buckeye police officials said in a social media post on Thursday.
Buckeye police previously said Hope and Tashawn Tucker were driving on I-10 near Verrado Way when her car broke down in the early morning hours of May 22. A spokesperson for the department said both mother and son got out of the car in search of shade.
Two days later, police said they found Tashawn Tucker outside a gas station about five miles away from the car and in bad shape. They took him to a nearby hospital to recover.
Tashawn Tucker remained in the hospital for 27 days. Then just last week, the hospital contacted Leroy Tucker, Hope Tucker's father, and told him they had his grandson.
"I was just shocked," Leroy Tucker said.
Leroy Tucker said Tashawn Tucker was severely dehydrated and diagnosed with an acute kidney infection.
He immediately flew into Phoenix to pick up his grandson and asked him what happened. That's when he said Tashawn Tucker told him the heartbreaking news that Hope Tucker passed away.
“[Tashawn] shared with me that they found some kind of hillside and a tree, and they laid down," Leroy Tucker said. "Then he says she just stopped breathing."
Leroy Tucker contacted Buckeye police on June 22 and told them what reportedly happened. It led to massive search efforts by local law enforcement in the desert area near where the car broke down.
Leroy Tucker said Tashawn Tucker didn't explain the situation sooner because he has autism and is non-verbal. However, he did communicate to Leroy Tucker that he tried to walk back to their car to find water but instead, he got lost.
Leroy Tucker described his daughter as someone passionate about caring for others.
"She was a wonderful mother and she was probably the best mother for him. [Hope] would never leave Tashawn," Leroy Tucker said. "She was so overprotective over Tashawn, that was her whole life.”
While he is glad Tashawn Tucker is alive, he still holds out hope that his daughter will be found alive.
"It's really hard to really believe this is even happening," Leroy Tucker said. "You see these things on TV or hear these stories and now here I'm at, you know, wondering where my daughter is and will I see her again?"
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Padre de la mujer desaparecida reza para que la encuentren después de que la vieron por última vez hace un mes en Buckeye
"I miss her and I love her," Leroy Tucker said. "I'm just hoping for, Hope."
In the meantime, Leroy Tucker said he would stay in the Valley to take care of his grandson as both wait for answers.
"I'm not going anywhere until we know for sure what's going on," Leroy Tucker said.
12News on YouTube
Catch up on the latest news and stories on our 12News YouTube playlist here.