MONROE COUNTY -- State police said the changing weather could certainly help them catch their man, Eric Matthew Frein.
They are hoping cold, wet conditions force Frein to make a mistake, a mistake that leads to his capture.
"It's been too long. It's been too long to have him loose. As a woman, to have children out here, it's too long. It doesn't make any sense. I don't understand why they can't find him," said Faith Johnson of Blakeslee.
Investigators said they strongly believe Frein is still hiding in the woods of either Monroe or Pike County.
They believe he gunned down two troopers at the Blooming Grove barracks on September 12, killing one and injuring the other.
Now, as the leaves fall from the trees, troopers believe Frein will run out of places to hide because fewer leaves on the trees means better visibility in the woods.
"That's a part of nature. It's fall. Leaves fall off. It's easy to be spotted, seen, so you can't really hide from you know, too much. If he's surviving in the woods, when the leaves comes off there's nowhere to hide," said Sean Foster of Tobyhanna Township.
After 40 days of searching, people who live in the area said they are desperate for Frein to be captured and life to go back to normal.
"I've talked to a lot of people and a lot of people who have said it has kept them from working and things like that and people I ran into in the area over there that they had a hard time getting to work and stuff because of what was going on," said Candace Paige of Tobyhanna.
People said all they can really do is wait and hope that the changing weather does indeed help investigators find Eric Frein and put an end to what they say seems like a never-ending search.
"I'm just hoping he gets captured so we can feel safe again," said Johnson.