More than 115 family, friends, strangers and Maui police officers gathered Saturday morning in Upcountry Maui and searched most of the day for a mother of three missing for nearly a week.

While the whereabouts of Moreira Monsalve, 46, remained unknown at the end of the search, police did find a few leads to follow up on, said Lisa Thompson, 47, Monsalve’s friend and co-worker.

Thompson couldn’t talk about the leads to protect the police investigation or why the rural location in Kula was chosen for the search, but she did say police still do not have a suspect in Monsalve’s disappearance.

"The fact that she disappeared is very out of character," she said. "She wouldn’t go one day without talking with her kids."

Monsalve, a Kihei resident, has a 27-year-old daughter, Alexis Felicilda; a 23-year-old son, Lono Felicilda; and an 18-year-old son, Tyson Felicilda, who is still a senior in high school on Maui. Monsalve works as an accounts manager for a Department of Defense contractor.

"She’s a very giving, genuine person," Thompson said. "Always taking care of other people."

Thompson said there is a lot of speculation about what happened to Monsalve, who was last seen leaving her ex-boyfriend’s Wailuku home about 10:30 p.m. Jan. 12, but the family is focusing on finding her and leaving the investigation to police.

A Maui Police Department spokesman said in a statement that detectives searched the area along Waipoli Road in Kula Saturday and are following every lead.

"We know the family is very concerned and we are working as hard as we can to find her," he said.

On Thursday, Monsalve’s purse was found in a dumpster at Papohaku Park, Thompson said.

"She’s loved very much by her family and her friends," she said. "It’s been really hard on her kids. It’s hard on all of us."

Thompson said friends and family plan to search the entire island until they find Monsalve.

Alexis Felicilda has been organizing many of the smaller searches that were held the past week and helped in Saturday’s search despite her voice growing hoarse and others suggesting she slow down because of signs of exhaustion.

"I’m personally trying to stay strong for my little brother," she said. "Tyson, he’s the baby of the family. My mom would never, ever leave him alone. She would never leave a high school kid to go fend for himself."

Felicilda is planning a candlelight vigil at Papohaku Park to bring in more prayers for her mother, something that has been a source of renewal for the family.

"All the prayers of support, it’s keeping us going," she said. "It’s keeping us strong. It’s helping MPD find good leads. We want more prayers out there and more hope."

She added, "I want to find her, that’s all I want."

For more information about the vigil and future searches or to donate to the family’s search efforts, visit www.facebook.com/mowatchmoreiramonsalve.

Anyone with information about Monsalve’s whereabouts is asked to call Maui police at 244-6400.