Le Family: 'We’re Still Fighting for You'

“When the world says give up, hope whispers, try one more.”

So read a hand-painted sign put up by the loved ones of Michelle Hoang Thi Le, the 26-year-old nursing student who police in the parking lot of a Hayward hospital on May 27.

Le’s family thinks otherwise. And with hope for her safe return, the family held a vigil Thursday night at Mount Eden Park in Hayward. There they said they will continue to search for her until police can provide proof that she is gone.

“I want to do it a little bit different this time and speak to Michelle, because I know she can hear us,” said Le’s cousin Krystine Dinh. “Michelle, you’re my best friend. I’ve looked up to you my whole life. We’re still fighting for you, and we’re still optimistic.”

The tearful vigil was the so far to be organized by Le’s supporters. More than 100 people attended, many of them wearing T-shirts emblazoned with a picture of Le as they held each other close in the park across the street from the hospital she went missing from.

Le, a San Mateo resident, was last seen on Friday, May 27 at about 7 p.m. while attending clinical rotations at the Kaiser Medical Center in Hayward. Classmates said she stepped out to grab something from her car, which was parked in the parking garage next to the hospital.

Thursday’s gathering comes four days after Hayward police announced that the case had turned into a homicide investigation.

Hayward police told Patch on Thursday that while they hope to find Le alive, various forms of evidence have led them to believe that this will not be the case, said Sgt. Steve Brown with the Hayward Police Department.

That collection of evidence includes interviews and examination of evidence gathered during searches, review of video footage from the garage and other locations, and examination of Le's cellphone records.

Brown said the investigation is moving forward but added that investigators are dealing with a multifaceted investigation.

“With every interview, every piece of evidence, every statement, every analysis, every evaluation we have before us, it causes us to make different turns in the road,” Brown said. “It’s a really, really complex investigation.”

Investigators have said they believe Le was killed by a person or people she knew. There has been a focus on a who police have called a “person of interest.”

That Union City woman’s apartment has been searched twice and search warrants served allowed Hayward police to collect a number of evidence items from DNA to computers and phones, Brown said. The most recent search of that home took place Monday. The woman is believed to be in San Diego.

However, Hayward police have several “persons of interests,” and no suspects have been identified, Brown said. As of Thursday, more than 40 people have been interviewed about Le’s disappearance.

At the vigil, family thanked Hayward police for their work on their case and acknowledged that investigators could not disclose too much information without compromising the case, but the Le family believes more can be done. Many called on the FBI to take over the case.

Brown said he understands the family wants to find Le and said the reason information has not been released is solely to not jeopardize the investigation

“Everybody wants answers now, as do we. Everyone wants evidence returned, as do we,” Brown said. "The unfortunate part is that we don't have any witnesses to this."

The Le family’s devotion to finding Le has been nothing short of amazing, he added.

“From the billboards to the reward money…to their support system, their following, their friends, their church, their community and ours… I can’t say enough about their motivation to bring Michelle home,” said Brown, adding that Hayward police’s No. 1 goal is to find Le “at all costs.”

“We totally understand. It’s our hopes that we’re wrong… that she will come home,” Brown said.

And holding on to that hope is what family and friends are focusing on.

“We have no excuse to give up,” said Jason Manalang, a close friend of Le’s.

“I just want her home,” said Michelle’s brother Michael Le, who said that he and his sister lost their mother 12 years ago, and their grandfather two years ago.

“I grieved then … but I’m not grieving right now,” he said. “There’s so much we can do to find her.”

Michelle Le is described as 5 feet 6 inches tall with black hair and brown eyes. The Hayward Police Department has set up a tip line for anyone with information that could help with the case; that number is (510) 293-5051.

People can also call Hayward police at (510) 293-7033 if they have information on Le's disappearance.

People are encouraged to download, print and post fliers of Michelle Le to help spread the word. Click here to download the English version. Click here to download the Spanish version.

Family and friends plan to host an event Sunday in which supporters are invited to distribute fliers. The time and place is yet to be determined.

For ways to help the family search for Michelle Le, visit www.michellelemissing.com.