By Bryan Manabat
bryan@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
FORMER Guam police detective Josephine Wentzel is urging Saipan residents to come forward with any information related to the long-unsolved disappearance of sisters Faloma and Maleina Luhk.
“I truly believe someone here knows what happened,” Wentzel said in an interview with Variety on Monday. “It’s time to clear your conscience and come forward. These girls deserve justice.”
Faloma and Maleina were last seen near a bus stop in As Teo on the morning of May 25, 2011. Their disappearance prompted a month-long search involving local and federal law enforcement, as well as widespread community support. The girls were 10 and 9 years old at the time. Next year marks 15 years since they vanished.
According to the FBI, the Department of Public Safety received a call that afternoon after the sisters failed to report to — or return home from — school. Federal authorities were brought in the same day to assist in the investigation.
Wentzel, the founder of Angels of Justice and mother of murder victim Krystal Jaye Mitchell, said she learned about the case through the girls’ grandfather in Vancouver and has since met their mother, Jermaine Quitugua.
Her advocacy group assists families in unresolved cases, and she emphasized that anyone willing to share information would be treated confidentially.
During her visit to Saipan, Wentzel also met with local FBI agents and confirmed that federal authorities remain actively involved in the investigation.
“The FBI has not given up,” she said. “They are committed to finding these girls and solving this case.”
Wentzel described the enduring pain of losing a child.
“Every day feels like the day it happened,” she said. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose two children and have no answers.”
Born in Guam to a Chamorro mother who survived World War II, Wentzel said her family’s experiences of trauma and resilience fuel her pursuit of justice.
“I’ve been a fighter since I could speak,” she said. “And I know what it’s like to live on a small island where everyone knows everything.”
She warned that silence can enable further harm.
“If someone could do this to two innocent girls, what else have they done? What else are they capable of?”
Wentzel urged anyone with information to contact her directly at (360) 241-8789.
“You don’t have to give your name. Just help us bring these girls home,” she said.
She concluded with a message to mothers across the CNMI:
“You should be outraged. Two children were taken from your island, and there are still no answers. Everyone should be concerned.”
The FBI in Honolulu is encouraging the public to share any information about the case and is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for tips that lead to the sisters’ whereabouts.
