lead

Reader's Digest 8月号の記事TakenはSouth Africaで子供を友人に預けて働いている女性が仕事終わり、友人宅に子供を引き取りにいったら子供も友人もいなくなっていました。
Delores' extended family and friends immediately started a search, joined by others as they combed community centres, shops and clinics asking after the Ambraals.
The only lead came from the neighbour.
上に出てきた "lead" はビジネスで良く使われる "sales lead" と同じ様な意味あいなので分かりますが、商売での "lead" 以外で使われているのを見るのは初めてです。一応辞書で確認します。
・Vocabulary.com: evidence pointing to a possible solution: “the police are following a promising lead”
・Macmillan Dictionary: a piece of information that may help someone to solve a problem or to find out the truth about something, especially a crime: The investigation will be scaled down unless new leads are discovered.