A bounty of investigative resources, greater access to the FBI, more manpower and a fresh approach ... surely a formula to improve an investigation, right?

Former Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar has been missing for almost nine months and the Bellefonte Police Department still appears to be a long way from solving the case.

In the past weeks, Clinton and Montour County district attorneys have requested that the case change jurisdiction to the Pennsylvania State Police and the state attorney general's office.

However, Bellefonte police officer Darrel Zaccagni, who heads the investigation, and newly elected Centre County District Attorney Michael Madeira have said it is not necessary to hand the case over to the state police, noting that Bellefonte police have "crossed all the T's and dotted all the I's." But have they looked through all the criminals Gricar prosecuted? At the time of his disappearance, Gricar had been a prosecutor for over 30 years and it's possible someone from his past had a hand in his disappearance.

State police and the state attorney general's office have a plethora of resources at their disposal and it is obvious that those factors present the possibility for discovering new leads. Despite Zaccagni's comments that a change of jurisdiction would not help, it is indisputable that the department has needed to consult a series of more encompassing services, such as the state police and the FBI, on several occasions, which often delayed the process.

The intentions of the other district attorneys, who are concerned about the case's future, seem genuine. While there is most likely some concern for their safety, it is also apparent that they want to solve the case.

The Pennsylvania State Police Department, the state attorney general's office and the Bellefonte police need to work together to find leads. If the investigation stays solely in Bellefonte, the likelihood that the case won't be solved increases.

While it is true some missing persons cases are never solved, the case needs to be seen by fresh eyes if officials have any hope of finding out what really happened to Gricar.