ORLANDO, Fla. — The search for a missing Orange County taxi driver continued Thursday, with divers searching a lake near where the man's taxi was found last Friday.
Michael Smith, 59, was reported missing after his cab was found abandoned last week near Sunset Lake.
Divers spent the day looking for evidence related to Smith's disappearance, authorities said.
Raw: Dive team searches for cab driver
Photos: Abandoned taxi found at edge of lake
According to police, despite the fact that homicide detectives are working the case, they are not ready to say that Smith is dead.
"This kind of activity going on in this neighborhood is pretty sad. I mean, with the recent shooting, and now the cab driver," said resident Ernest Whittaker.
Neighbors said Smith's life had taken a downturn over the past few months after his home went into foreclosure and he moved into an extended-stay hotel.
Police said detectives found signs of a struggle in the cab, and a report obtained by Channel 9 said someone set the cab on fire.
From the shore, it appeared that investigators were using metal detectors to find whatever might have been left behind on the day Smith disappeared.
"I thought it was pretty sad for a cab driver to be -- his cab shows up, and he's not in it," said neighbor Ernest Whittaker. "Now that they're out here looking in this lake, that's not a good sign."
An Orlando police detective told Channel 9 that divers were looking for new evidence.
"I hope they find him," said Whittaker.
Neighbors said it's the first time they've noticed a major search effort in the area since the hunt for Smith was launched last week.
Previous stories:
Search continues for missing Orlando cab driver
Police search for driver of abandoned cab in Orlando
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