Le's brother, Huong Le, said based on a physical description from police, the body is likely that of his sister, an aspiring nurse from Suisun City, Calif., last seen studying at a Barnes & Noble on Apr. 25. An autopsy scheduled for Monday could confirm that Le's vanishing mere days before her 25th birthday ended in her death.
Her family, who are immigrants from Vietnam, was preparing to celebrate her birthday as well as her passing of a nursing licensing exam when she vanished.
"I don't want to think too negatively, but most likely, it's my sister," Huong Le told San Franscisco's KGO-TV.
Police said the body was found by a woman walking her dog about 30 to 40 yards off Highway 121 in Napa County around 9:15 a.m on Friday.
"The body of similar physical description of Miss Le was found," Fairfield Chief Larry Todd said at an evening news conference, adding that there is an ongoing criminal investigation into Le's disappearance.
Huong Le said there is reason to believe the body is that of his younger sister based on jewelry found on the body.
"Police told us... she was wearing a jade bracelet and a watch that matches my sister's," Le told KGO.
"She wears it all the time," he said of the bracelet. "She never took that off."
Yellow ribbons are tied to many trees and mailboxes in Suisun City, where family and friends wait and pray. But their hope for Le's safe return has plummeted with the discovery of the body. A friend of Le's who identified herself only as Lisa pointed out to KGO that, "there's no one else in the area that's missing and that's female, so it makes us think that it might be Phuong."
Le Family
Nursing student Phuong Le was last seen at a Barnes & Noble store on April 25.
At the time of Le's disappearance, her brother, Huong, said his family believed Le was kidnapped.
"If foul play is determined to be the cause of death, our agencies will continue to investigate this in an effort to apprehend the guilty party or parties," Fairfield Police Lt. Darrin Moody told KVOR-TV.
Huong Le said his sister had been involved in an intimate relationship with Thuc Nguyen, a family friend and Phuong's former boss at a local copy shop, but police said after a search of his home and business that Nguyen is not considered a suspect.
Nguyen, who is married, denies having a romantic relationship with Le and said he didn't leave his home on the day she disappeared. Police said they will analyze surveillance cameras from his Rancho Solano neighborhood to verify his story.
Meanwhile, the Le family waits for what may be grim news about their loved one.
Le's other brother, Dinh, told KVOR. "I'm really nervous and worried."
