Saturday 24 September 2022 10:56 PM The £10,000-a-day hunt for Paris Hilton's beloved chihuahua, 'Diamond Baby' trends now

Drones hover silently across the LA skyline. A small army of search parties fans out, painstakingly hunting every square inch of the landscape. Other searchers go door-to-door across the city's exclusive Mulholland Estates, looking for clues.

What, you might wonder, is this vast – and expensive – team looking for? Not lost jewels, money or even a child – but Paris Hilton's beloved teacup chihuahua Diamond Baby.

This week, the heartbroken socialite and hotel chain heiress launched the biggest dog hunt in Hollywood history, enlisting an army of canine psychics, dog whisperers and pet detectives in a desperate attempt to track down her lost six-year-old 'daughter'.

Such is the sophistication of the hunt that one expert told The Mail on Sunday the hunt is likely to be costing Paris 'upwards of £10,000 a day.'

On top of that, the 41-year-old has offered a reward of $10,000 (£9,200) for the return of her pet, who went missing last Wednesday, with 'no questions asked'.

She posted online: 'We are in contact with six credible pet psychic/communicators who have all told me she is alive, which gives me some hope.'

That may be stretching the definition of 'credible' to its limits – but then nothing about this endeavour is quite normal.

Her tiny 6lb pooch lives in her own £280,000 'doggie mansion', wears a £35,000 diamond-encrusted collar and has a wardrobe stuffed with Chanel dog sweaters and mini Hermes handbags. As part of the hunt, Paris, worth a reported £260 million, is understood to have been told to hang her worn underwear in trees in the hope her scent will lure her dog back.

One neighbour in the gated Mulholland Estate, nestled in the Santa Monica mountains with sweeping views of LA, told The Mail on Sunday: 'We are used to lost dog posters but this is on another level. There have been drones, people going door-to-door asking if we've seen anything or have security footage which might help. People are out late at night with flashlights.'

Diamond Baby has united a deeply divided nation, with #FindDiamondBaby trending on social media. A source at Fox News said: 'It's the one thing everyone is talking about. Everyone wants to see Diamond Baby get home safely.'

Jason Denson, owner of Drone Tech Aerial, told how his team are using £2,800 aircraft with zoom lenses to scour the area.

Denson, who usually works on big budget Hollywood movies and commercials for brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, said: 'This isn't our normal work but I want to help. We can see something as small as a squirrel in dense foliage from 200ft up.'

But so far his drones have picked up no activity.

Diamond Baby disappeared while Paris was away at a photoshoot and removal men were at her £8 million Beverly Hills home. 'One of the movers must have left a door open,' she wrote. 'My heart is broken. I have been in tears, so sad and depressed. It feels like part of me is missing. I'm doing everything in my power to get her back. Diamond Baby is my everything, truly like a daughter to me. We were inseparable, she was my best friend and always by my side.' 

Some have suggested Diamond Baby may have been targeted by thieves, as 'dog-napping' is on the rise in LA: Lady Gaga's dog walker was shot last year during an attempt to seize two of her French bulldogs. A source close to Paris said: 'She hasn't ruled out someone taking the dog. If she has been dognapped she will give anything to get her back.'

However, the source admits that any potential criminal has yet to get in contact, 'which is weird'. This absence of concrete leads

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