WATERVILLE — They keep returning to the water, searching for signs.

As lines of communication are re-opened, there’s also a hint that a substance with DNA found in the basement might not be blood.

Ayla Reynolds was 20 months old when her father reported her missing on Dec. 17 of last year.

WATERVILLE — The mother of missing toddler Ayla Reynolds says she’s losing hope that police ever will solve the case, but at least three law enforcement experts from around the country say there are plenty of reasons for optimism. Police probably are working quietly to build a stronger case, they said.

Two upcoming events will mark the one-year anniversary of toddler Ayla Reynolds’ disappearance, and each will attempt to find a bright spot in the midst of the unsolved investigation.

Three weeks from today, it will have been a year since you were reported missing from your Violette Avenue home in Waterville.

WATERVILLE — Hunters have often been key to finding clues that have helped the state’s law enforcement solve cases, and when 200,000 hunters walk into the Maine woods this fall, many people are hoping they’ll be alert for signs of Ayla Reynolds.

It’s a case police have “been working on for some time,” but they won’t divulge details.