San Francisco Bay Area nursing student Michelle Le was 26 when she disappeared in May 2011. Four months later, her remains were found in a remote canyon. The search volunteer who found Le was Carrie McGonigle, the mother of 14-year-old Amber Dubois, who was raped and killed by registered sex offender John Gardner III. (Amber disappeared in 2009.) McGonigle works with the KlaasKids Foundation, an organization that helps parents of missing children. The founder, Marc Klaas (whose daughter Polly was kidnapped and killed in 1993) said: “Carrie happened to be the right person on the right team at the right place at the right time.” He added, “I have no doubt in my mind that this is of great personal satisfaction to Carrie and that Amber is looking down on her from heaven with pride in her heart and a big smile on her face.”
Le’s former friend Giselle Esteban, who was convinced that Le was having an affair with the father of her child Scott Marasigan, was found guilty of killing Le and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Esteban gave birth in prison to her second child with Marasigan. The child is in the custody of Marasigan. Dateline NBC airs Fridays at 9pm on NBC.
