Union City Woman Questioned in Michelle Le Case Accused of Harassing Ex-Boyfriend

A woman whose Union City apartment has been searched twice in connection with the disappearance of Michelle Le had a restraining order filed against her three days before the nursing student went missing in Hayward.

Giselle Esteban, whom police have called a “person of interest” in the case, was a friend of Le's from high school who, Alameda County court records indicate, had been recently harassing her ex-boyfriend—a man who reportedly had also dated Le.

Esteban, 27, has not been called a suspect, although Hayward police have visited her  apartment twice and interviewed her at least as many times. Police note they have also interviewed more than two dozen other people as they  in the case.

The court records allege erratic behavior by Esteban stemming from an apparent grudge against a Fremont man who is the father of her 5-year-old child and who has 80 percent custody of the child. Esteban has been accused of stalking the man, breaking into his home and sending threatening text messages, among other things, the court records show.

The court granted a temporary restraining order barring Esteban from going within 100 yards of the man. A court hearing is scheduled for June 14.

Neighbors of Esteban's at the Monte Vista apartment complex off Alvarado Niles Road said they have not seen her since Monday, May 30, when she knocked on doors to apologize for the police presence over the weekend.

A neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, said Esteban was upset because she felt she was being targeted by media. Esteban told the neighbor then that she would be relocating. Neighbors said Esteban had been living in her apartment for about two months and they didn't see her often.

The request for a restraining order describes an incident last December in which Esteban threatened to shoot herself if the petitioner did not speak to her. He called the police and she was arrested; officers found live rounds of ammunition but no gun, according to her ex-boyfriend, but he indicated in the court document that he believes she possesses a firearm.

The petitioner also stated that in February and March Esteban sent him text messages at least once a day "telling me to put a bullet in my brain" and that she also told him repeatedly she was having him followed and "has at times accurately informed me of what I had done the previous evening," the man wrote.

Previous news reports have quoted Esteban as saying she “openly hates” Le for stealing her boyfriend, but she has denied having anything to do with Le’s disappearance.

A former roommate of Esteban’s told a San Diego TV news station that he didn’t think Esteban was the jealous type and that, “To my knowledge, she was ready to go on with her life.”

According to some reports, Esteban recently returned to Rancho Penasquitos, the San Diego suburb where she and Le attended Mt. Carmel High School together and were friends before moving to the Bay Area.

Le, a  at , was last seen on May 27 at 7 p.m. at Kaiser Permanente Hayward Medical Center. Le told colleagues she was planning to drive to Reno after finishing her rotation at the hospital. She left during a break and never returned.

Police have said forensic and other evidence leads them to believe she was killed in the hospital’s parking garage by someone who is “not a stranger.” Surveillance cameras recorded footage of her vehicle leaving the parking lot that night, but the footage did not show who was behind the wheel.

The vehicle, a white Honda SUV, was found a few blocks away on Hayward cul-de-sac Ponderosa Court.

Esteban's apartment was searched May 28 and again on June 6, the same day Hayward Police reclassified the case as a homicide investigation.

When investigators began calling the case , they cited strong physical evidence that Le had been killed in the Kaiser parking lot. Le’s family, however, says they have not seen solid evidence that she is dead, and on Tuesday the family  encouraging community members to .

Money  from Le’s family, along with donations from Samuel Merritt University and Turner Construction Company, where Le worked, have added up to a  for information leading to her return.

“It is with heavy hearts that we learn from Hayward Police Department that Michelle Le's missing person case has now become a murder investigation,” said Samuel Merritt University president Sharon Diaz in a statement. “The pain we feel is indescribable.”

A candlelight for Le is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Mount Eden Park, which is located on West Tennyson Road and Hesperian Boulevard in Hayward.

The family is organizing a separate vigil for 7 p.m. Friday at Hilltop Park in San Diego, near Le's high school.