But Investigator David King said at least two people remain convinced they saw Amy Wroe Bechtel on a street in Sarasota, Fla., in February.
King said reports that a woman resembling Bechtel had been seen by a number of people in Sarasota were the best leads yet in the search for Bechtel, who disappeared in July.
But he said Wednesday that Sarasota officials determined some of the people reporting they had seen Bechtel may in fact have seen a homeless woman who resembles Bechtel.
Florida officials who tracked down the woman reported she did resemble Bechtel, although she is more than 40 years old, while Bechtel is 25.
"(Florida officials said) from a distance, it sure looked like Amy," King said. "But when (they) got closer and interviewed her, it definitely wasn't her."
King said Florida investigators believe about 95 percent of the people reporting they had seen Bechtel probably saw the Washington woman instead.
"This doesn't mean they will stop following the leads or that they'll close the case there," he said. "But it does mean they've found someone who does look like Amy."
However, the first two people to report sightings remain convinced they saw Bechtel, not the older Washington woman, King said.
Specifically, the businessman and his secretary who reported they had seen Bechtel in February do not believe the woman they saw was older than 25.
The two have agreed to look at the homeless woman, King said.
If the two decide they saw the Washington woman and not Bechtel, the investigation in Florida will be over, King said.
However, he added if the two agree the woman is not the person they saw in February, the investigation will continue.