Le Case: "I Hope She Can Be Found Anywhere"

UPDATE:  More than 200 people gathered in Hayward on Friday in a show of support for missing nursing student Michelle Le of San Mateo.

Her brother and cousin, speaking on behalf of Le's family, talked with the media and supporters who came together at the spot where Le's car was found after her disappearance last week.

"I hope she can be found anywhere—safe and alive. Hopefully somewhere close," said Le's cousin Krystine Dinh.

A reward for information leading to Le's return—thanks to donations from strangers—has grown to $45,000. The family also announced that the FBI has stepped in to help with the investigation.

Community members gathered at a cul-de-sac on Ponderosa Court off of Oliver Drive, where Le’s locked white Honda was discovered one week ago. Her cousin, brother and father spoke, and the group held a moment of silence and heard an inspirational reading.

At about 7 p.m. on May 27, Le stepped out during a break in her duties at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Hayward, and never returned. According to Hayward police, video surveillance from the Kaiser garage shows her car being driven out of the parking structure that night, though it does not clearly show who was driving.

Friends and fellow nursing students told police that Le was planning to drive to Reno that night after her clinical rotation ended at the Kaiser facility. But she never came back after the 7 p.m. break.

Investigators are still working through , according to Hayward police Lt. Roger Keener. One of those leads involves a “person of interest” later identified as a Union City resident who said she “openly hated” her former friend for stealing her boyfriend, but who denied having anything to do with Le’s disappearance. The woman was questioned and released, Keener said.

“Until we find Michelle it’s very difficult for us to exclude anything because we don’t know what happened to her,” he told Patch earlier this week.

Le's brother, Michael Le, said Friday night that they aren't paying attention to the comments of one person and are instead focused on "all the love" shown to his sister.

Le’s family has not given up hope, and is asking the public’s help in finding her. The family initially put up a  for information leading to her return and then donations began pouring in.

The family released this statement earlier today:

Our family and friends are thankful for, and have been touched by, the continual support we have received from loved ones, the California community, the police, and the media. We are also aware that time is not on our side. Through our collaboration with the Hayward Police Department, we know that the six personnel assigned are doing their best with the resources currently dedicated. The reality is that the Department can only devote so many hours per day to the search. As today marks a week since her disappearance, we believe the addition of dedicated FBI personnel, who have extensive experience in missing persons cases, will benefit the search. With additional support, we have now been able to increase the reward amount from $20,000 to $40,000 for Michelle’s safe return, the return of her cellphone, and/or any additional information that is crucial to bringing her home. Michelle’s family and friends will be holding a search support gathering on Friday, June 3, beginning at 7pm at 27560 Ponderosa Court, the location her car was found after her disappearance. Loved ones will be traveling from all over the state to meet the community that has so greatly helped us, and to collaborate on where to go from here.

Le moved to San Mateo from Oakland last year so that she could attend nursing school at  and be closer to her work, according to a friend who asked to remain anonymous.

She is “An incredibly , very level headed,” the friend said. “I really hope this turns out well. … We all hate how helpless we feel regarding her disappearance.”

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.