HARTLAND -- The planned private search for Shirley Theresa Moon Atwood, the estranged wife of convicted murderer Shannon Atwood, has been canceled.

Cherri Hight of Waterville had organized the effort to assemble volunteers to walk an area in Hartland known as Devil's Head to search for Shirley Atwood.

She had planned to search for three consecutive days, beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday at the town gazebo in Hartland.

Hight fears that Shannon Atwood might have killed Shirley Moon Atwood.

The 38-year-old Shannon Atwood was convicted earlier this month of the 2006 murder of Cheryl Murdoch.

A murder charge against Atwood in the death of his wife, however, was dropped by prosecutors in 2007.

Hight, though, remained suspicious and obtained information that Shannon Atwood had been in the area of Devil's Head -- a rugged mountain top that straddles parts of St. Albans and Harmony -- in the weeks leading up to the discovery of Murdoch's body.

But Hight said she decided to cancel the search after she realized how challenging walking Devil's Head would be.

"I couldn't ask my people to risk going in there," she said, "because the terrain is so thick and rugged."

Hight said she will continue spread word of Shirley Atwood's disappearance in the hope she will be found one day. "We just hope that there can be some closure for this family," she said.

Colin Hickey -- 861-9205

chickey@centralmaine.com