Nearly a hundred people stood in silence in a Hayward park to show support for Michelle Le's family and friends. Le's cousin, Krystine Dinh, from San Diego spoke directly to her.
"We're still fighting really hard for you and we're staying optimistic, but we know you're out there, and we're going to find you, and we're going to bring you home," said Dinh.
Even though police say evidence from Le's car leads them to call this a homicide, friends are distributing t-shirts with her photo and are asking volunteers to post flyers across the Bay Area. Le's brother, Michael, understands that investigators may not be able to disclose every detail they know.
"We thought they were withholding information, and they still are, but for a better reason than just a missing persons case because they believe it's a homicide case now. They don't want to taint their investigation," said Michael.
It remains a mystery what happened when Le left a Hayward hospital to get something from her car. The car was later found a short distance away. Her disappearance bothers people who live or work in Hayward. They might not know Le, but they feel a need to help find her. Volunteer Felicia Chapman says she will distribute flyers at work and around the neighborhood.
"I think because it happened here in Hayward, it's all of our responsibility to make sure that we do our part. We need to send a message that we won't tolerate this, and so I think it's really important that everybody gets involved, so I'm going to do my part," said Chapman.
ABC7 contacted Hayward police for an update on the case, but our call was not returned.
Another vigil will be held Friday night in the San Diego area near where Le went to high school to keep the spirit of hope alive there as well as here.
