The search for a missing 26-year-old nursing student from San Diego who is believed to have been murdered is over.
Forensic tests confirm that remains found Saturday off a dirt trail in a rugged San Francisco Bay area canyon were that of Michelle Le's, according to the Alameda County coroner's office and Hayward police. The cause and manner of death were not released.
Le's former friend, Giselle Esteban, 27, was arrested earlier this month and charged with murder in connection with Le's disappearance. Hayward police allege Esteban attacked Le in the parking garage of the hospital where Le was doing a clinical rotation on May 27.
According to published reports, Esteban blamed Le for ruining her relationship with her ex-boyfriend and child's father, Scott Marasigan.
Three days prior to Le's disappearance, Marasigan filed a restraining order against Esteban, describing her behavior as volatile.
Police said signals from both Le and Esteban's cell phones the night of May 27 led them to search the canyon where the remains were found.
In an e-mail statement, Le family spokeswoman Krystine Dinh thanked police and others who helped in the search, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
"Tonight, our family has been notified that this weekend, we have found Michelle,'' Dinh wrote. "Please continue praying for and supporting Michelle as our family begins the journey to ensure justice in her honor.''
Le was a student at Samuel Merritt University in Oakland. She and Esteban attended Mount Carmel High School in Rancho Penasquitos.
