Vigil held for Maui woman 2 years after her disappearance

WAILUKU, Maui (AP) — A candlelight vigil has been held in Wailuku honoring the life of a Maui woman who has been missing for more than two years.

Friends, family and members of the public gathered Tuesday night to remember 46-year-old Moreira Monsalve, who was last seen on Jan. 12, 2014, at her ex-boyfriend’s home in Wailuku. A purse and other belongings of the mother of three were recovered days later from an industrial trash bin in the area.

“Your guys love and support is basically what keeps us afloat,” said Alexis Felicilda, Monsalve’s oldest child, to the crowd of about 30 people.

Felicilda said police are continuing to search for her mother with cadaver dogs, but she could not provide much detail due to the ongoing investigation.

“They are still actively searching and we have gotten data back and that’s what’s leading to where we’re searching,” she said. “Being patient is part of the game but also very hard to do because it’s been two years already and you’re like, ‘All right, have you gotten it yet?’”

Maui police spokesman Lt. William Juan had no updates on the case Tuesday but said it is still being investigated by the Criminal Investigation Division.

Police have not identified any suspects or made any arrests in Monsalve’s disappearance. Her ex-boyfriend, Bernard Anthony Brown, has been identified as a person of interest but has not been charged in the case.

Among those in attendance at Tuesday’s vigil was Kimberlyn Scott, the mother of another Maui woman who was reported missing four weeks after Monsalve disappeared. Carly Scott was five months pregnant when she was reported missing Feb. 10, 2014.

Steven Capobianco has been charged with second degree murder in the Carly Scott case. He is scheduled to go to trial next week.