More than five years after a Maui mother disappeared, her ex-boyfriend has been indicted in her murder, Maui Police confirmed Friday.
Bernard Brown was indicted by a Maui grand jury on September 20, 2019, for the murder of Moreira Monsalve.
Moreira Monsalve, affectionately known by friends and family as “Mo,” was 46 years old when she was reported missing by her daughter, Alexis Felicilda, on January 14, 2014. Her disappearance was featured as part of Dateline’s “Missing in America” series.
According to Maui police, Mo was last seen by Brown, on January 12, when she stopped by his Wailuku residence. Several days later, some of her personal belongings were found in a dumpster at the nearby Wailuku Community Center. Her body has never been found.
Early on in the investigation, police identified Brown as a person of interest in the case, but he was not named a suspect, and he left the state in early February 2014, according to local NBC affiliate KHNL.
Alexis told the local NBC affiliate KHNL that she’s been waiting for this day for a long time.
“I’m shocked that after five years, we got this done. And I’m sad that it’s out there that she was murdered,” Alexis said. “Of course there’s anger, too. I’m angry that he felt he had the right to end my mother’s life.”
She added, “This man has changed my life.”
Brown was taken into custody by the FBI Violent Crime Task Force and the Sacramento Police Department and is awaiting extradition back to Maui. His bail has been set at $1,000,000.
If you know anything about Moreira Monsalve's case, call Maui Police at (808) 244-6400.