Supporters Shed Tears, Spread Hope at San Diego Vigil for Missing Nursing Student

They spoke to her as if she were there.

They spoke of her future, as though it were certain they would see her soon.

Family and friends of missing nursing student and Mt. Carmel High School graduate Michelle Le took Friday's vigil in Rancho Peñasquitos as an opportunity to show how much they believe Le is still alive—no matter what investigators say.

"Now is not the time to grieve for Michelle because she will be back. We just have to find her," said Michael Le, 23, the younger brother of Michelle who went missing in Hayward, CA on May 27.

Le was last seen at Kaiser Permanente Hayward Medical Center when she went on a break. Her car was later found, but she has not been seen or heard from since.

Police have reclassified the case as a homicide investigation, but Le's family said they won't stop looking until they find her body or conclusive evidence that she is gone.

"When you love someone you just believe in them and I believe in her," said Le's cousin Krystine Dinh, who traveled from the Bay Area with Michael Le for Friday's vigil, the first in San Diego.

More than 100 people attended Friday's vigil at Hilltop Community Park in Rancho Peñasquitos, a suburb in northern San Diego where Le attended high school. The vigil drew dozens of friends and relatives, and many more who had never met the young woman but care for her nonetheless.

Attendees held flashlights inside of cups with messages for Michelle Le written inside, holding them toward the sky to help send her positive energy.

Though the message of the vigil was hope for Le's safe return, many family members broke down in tears throughout the night as they spoke of how their lives have been disrupted by her disappearance.

Thuy Le, Michelle's aunt who raised her and her brother Michael after their mother died of breast cancer when they were teens, struggled to contain her emotion as she recalled the last conversation she had with her niece.

"She's my daughter," Thuy Le said, choking up as she remembered the text message and phone call she received on Mother's Day from her niece.

Many spoke of Michelle Le's transition into nursing, following in the footsteps of her mother, as a natural extension of her caring personality.

Mai Dinh, Le's 15-year-old cousin, recalled fun family get-togethers with Le, bursting into tears as she pleaded for her cousin to come home.

"We have to radiate so much hope that we can bring her back," Mai Dinh said.

The family is offering a $65,000 reward for information leading to, or the safe return of, Michelle Le. A "Michelle Le Search and Rescue Fund" has been set up at Wells Fargo under account no. 7682769232, said her cousin Suvar Lenguyen who lives in Rancho Bernardo.

Police have not identified any suspects but have named a former classmate of Le's as a person of interest. The woman, who Patch is not identifying because she has not been arrested or named a suspect, reportedly said she "hated" Le.

Krystine Dinh said the family will not speculate about the woman's possible involvement in Le's disappearance, but she feels it's sad how the woman has been portrayed in the media and connected to the case.

The family is asking people to spread the word about Michelle Le through social media, and to keep checking their website, michellelemissing.com, for updates on the case. They have also set up a Facebook page, "Help Find Michelle Le!! Often, Dinh said, they find out information about the case from the media before they hear from police.

Le's brother, Michael, said he believes his sister is still alive and he's looking forward to seeing her again.

"I feel like I didn't tell her I love her enough," Michael Le said, vowing to express his love for his sister every day once she's found.

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