Family and friends of Moreira "Mo" Monsalve are continuing daily searches on Maui for the mother who has been missing for nearly three weeks.
"We’re going to keep searching until we just can’t search anymore," said friend Lisa Thompson, 47, who took two weeks off work to search for her friend. "I love Mo and that’s really what it’s about."
Monsalve, a 46-year-old mother of three from Kihei, was last seen leaving her ex-boyfriend’s Wailuku home Jan. 12. Her family reported her missing two days later.
Two days after that, Monsalve’s purse was found in a Dumpster at Papohaku Park.
A Maui Police Department spokesman said detectives are still investigating the case and don’t have any suspects.
The lack of information has been frustrating for Alexis Felicilda, Monsalve’s oldest child, who worries that evidence may deteriorate as time passes and is considering hiring a private investigator.
"Patience is the hardest part about this whole thing," she said. "We want answers and we’re not getting them."
Since Monsalve’s disappearance, Felicilda has been swamped with dealing with her mother’s absence, organizing volunteers who want to help and getting out to search.
"I kind of have to shut off my emotions so I can get out of bed in the morning," Felicilda, 27, said. "I can cry later, after she’s found."
She said she has to remain strong for her youngest brother, Tyson, 18, a senior at Baldwin High School.
"I wish I could go back to the morning that I found out (she was missing)," she said.
After the daily searches, Felicilda marks off the areas combed on large aerial maps. Two weekends ago more than 100 people searched for Monsalve in Kula, where her ex-boyfriend’s vehicle was seen. Last weekend, family and friends scoured a part of Wailuku where Monsalve and her ex-boyfriend would search for seashells.
Monsalve’s ex-boyfriend has hired Maui lawyer Philip Lowenthal to represent him.
"He (the ex-boyfriend) values his privacy, especially in times like these with intense media scrutiny," Lowenthal said. "We all have a right to an attorney, and exercising one’s right should not infer guilt or suspicion."
This weekend, depending on the weather, the family might search Maui’s North Shore for clues — from articles of clothing to shallow graves.
The family is also holding a large fundraiser with several bands at LuLu’s Lahaina Surf Club & Grill at about 8 p.m. Saturday. The proceeds will help the family continue their search.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/mowatchmoreiramonsalve.
Thompson, Monsalve’s friend, said about 300 people attended a candlelight vigil last week for Monsalve.
"She was loved by a lot of people," Thompson said. "There’s still hope that potentially we find her alive. But I think the stronger desire is finding her, getting some answers on what happened and finding her to bring her home."
