Will the court grant visitation or custody without the mother being served?

My Brother-in-law is 17. He will be 18 in March. He and his ex girlfriend had a child when he was 16 and she was 15 (she turns 18 in May). After the relationship ended, his daughter was kept from him by the ex girlfriend. This happened when his child was about 8 months old. The child will be two this coming May. The father’s name is on the birth certificate and she has his last name. We finally have a lawyer and a court date set for February 1. The problem is that the ex girlfriend does not want to let us see the child and is hard to find, she moves around often and has her family lie to her. The court is trying to serve her but is unable to find her. They even went to her house where her boyfriend answered the door and said she did not live there. What will the court do on February 1, if they cannot serve her? We miss the child and really want visitation. What ways could we try to find her?