Name: Moreira Elena Monsalve
Age: 46 years old
Last seen: January 12, 2014
Location: Wailuku, Hawaii
Status: Still missing; Bernard Brown found guilty of murder in 2022
Case Information
46 year old Moreira Monsalve was last seen on January 12, 2014 in Wailuku, Hawaii. She was last seen by her ex-boyfriend at his residence, who says she left around 10 pm that evening.
Disappearance
On January 12, 2014, Moreia Monsalve dropped her son off at the University of Hawai’i Maui College campus in Kahului around 3:00 pm, then dropped her daughter off at the Kahului Airport afterward.
That evening Monsalve stopped by the residence of her ex-boyfriend, Bernard Brown, in Wailuku.
According to Brown, she left his house around 10:00 or 10:30 pm, leaving her car behind after telling him she was having car trouble. Monsalve didn’t place any calls that evening asking for a ride, and Brown reportedly dropped her car off at a repair shop the next morning.
Monsalve hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
Investigation
Monsalve was reported missing by her daughter, Alexis Felicilda, on January 14, 2014. When police picked up Monsalve’s car at the repair shop later that day they found nothing wrong with it.
On January 16 her purse and some of her personal belongings were found in a dumpster at the Velma McWayne Santos Community Center, near Brown’s home.
Police found Moreita’s phone has accessed various financial and airline websites after she disappeared, including a search for airline tickets with Bernard Brown listed as the passenger.
Monsalve’s friends and family believe Bernard Brown was involved in her disappearance, and stated she told them he was mentally abusive and that she was terrified of him.
Brown moved to northern California in early February 2014. He was named a person of interest early on in the case, but authorities did not have enough evidence to make an arrest.
It’s uncharacteristic of Monsalve to leave without warning, and friends and family don’t believe she would have abandoned her children, the youngest of which was in high school at the time of her disappearance.
2019 Update: Bernard Brown Charged With Moreira’s Murder
In September 2019 Bernard Brown was arrested in California and charged with Monsalve’s murder after being indicted by a grand jury.
He was taken into custody by the FBI Violent Crime Task Force and the Sacramento Police Department, and was extradited back to Maui. His bail was set at $1,000,000.
Brown pleaded not guilty to the second degree murder charge. The trial is set to begin in April 2021.
2022 Update: Bernard Brown Guilty of Second Degree Murder
A Maui jury has found Bernard Brown guilty in the murder of his ex-girlfriend Moreira Monsalve.
More than thirty witnesses took the stand during the trial, including two of Moreira’s children. Despite multiple searches over the years Moreira’s body has never been found.
Brown was found guilty of second degree murder and is set to be sentenced on November 23, 2022.
Appearance
Caucasian female born on September 8, 1967. She has brown hair, brown eyes, stands 5’7 and weighs 170 pounds. She wears eyeglasses with black metal frames.
She was last seen wearing a black and white pinstripe cotton t-shirt (either long sleeve or 3/4 sleeve), black capri cargo shorts, brown flip flop shoes, a brown hair clip, and a Victoria Secret brand bra.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Moreira Monsalve please contact the Maui Police Department at (808) 244-6400.
Resources & Further Information
Moreira Elena Monsalve – NamUS
Mowatch Missing Person Moreira Monsalve – Facebook
Moreira Elena Monsalve – The Charley Project
News & Media Links
Missing Mom Moreira Monsalve Last Seen By Ex-Boyfriend – Huffpost 01/14
5 years after a Maui mother’s disappearance, her alleged killer has been arrested – Hawaii News Now 09/19
Five years after Hawaii mother Moreira Monsalve disappeared, ex-boyfriend Bernard Brown is charged with her murder – NBC 09/19
Maui Mom Vanished in 2014 and Has Never Been Found — Now Ex Is Charged With Murder – People 09/19
Monsalve murder defendant enters not guilty plea Thursday – Maui News 10/19
Trial for the murder of Moreira Monsalve moved to March 2020 – KHON2 12/19
Judge dismisses murder indictment in Monsalve case – Maui News 12/20
Brown’s Trial Scheduled for April 12 – Maui News
Videos
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