For more than a year and eight months, one man has led the search for the missing former Centre County district attorney, but the investigation will soon shift to new hands within the Bellefonte Police Department.

Bellefonte Police Det. Darrel Zaccagni led the investigation into the 2005 disappearance of Ray Gricar, who called his girlfriend one afternoon to say he'd be late but never came home. Because of Zaccagni's approaching retirement, Bellefonte police have been prepping a new point person for the case -- Bellefonte Police Det. Matt Rickard.

Bellefonte Police Chief Shawn Weaver said the transfer will not affect the investigation "whatsoever."

"Rickard has been working with the case since the beginning," he said. "I envisioned this happening in the future so I made [Rickard] more involved in the case."

Rickard has followed up on leads for the duration of the investigation and was involved at a November meeting with Pennsylvania State Police, assessing the investigation thus far, Weaver said.

"So he is pretty much up to speed with every aspect of the case," he added.

Gricar was last heard from April 15, when he called his longtime girlfriend, Patty Fornicola, to tell her he wouldn't be home in time to feed their dog and that he was taking a drive on Route 192. His red-and-white mini cooper was found outside an antiques market in Lewisburg the next day. Gricar was nowhere to be found.

Neither Rickard nor Zaccagni were available for comment yesterday.

Tony Gricar, Ray Gricar's nephew and family spokesman, said he has mixed feelings about the case changing hands.

"Zaccagni retiring mid-case, it makes things a little difficult from an informational standpoint," he said. "But, we have been calling all along for a second set, a fresh set of eyes. You can't help but hope that this is a positive for the case."

But Tony Gricar said he is appreciative of Zaccagni's work.

"[Zaccagni] is a great guy and really did a lot to keep the family in the loop early on in the case," he said.

Fornicola declined to comment on Zaccagni's retirement from the police force and the investigation.

Several leads in the case have trickled in since Ray Gricar's disappearance, but they have provided no answers. Weaver said he could not comment on any new information but said police are following leads weekly and tips come in "sporadically."

The last major developments occurred when Gricar's laptop, without the hard drive, was found in the Susquehenna River in July. The hard drive was found in October about 100 yards from the laptop's location.

Weaver added that Zaccagni, who was with the Bellefonte Police Department for 28 years, will assume a new position as a school resource officer, primarily at Bellefonte High School.