The girls have been missing since May 25.
“We are still hoping that somebody out there will come forward to tell or share with us what they know,” Elbert Quitugua, the victims’ grandfather, told Variety yesterday.
“We are saddened, hurting, and we are praying,” he added.
He said the situation has become “harder and harder” as days go by for family members whose “lives have been devastated.”
Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent Tom Simon said the FBI continues to collaborate with Saipan authorities in the ongoing investigation.
But “while this partnership has been fruitful in eliminating many suspects, it has yet to produce a single target for whom we have probable cause to bring criminal charges,” said Simon.
He added that “the public may be tempted to give up hope and move on to the next horrifying news story.”
However, he said, “we ask that the good people of Saipan remain actively engaged in this effort by continuing to talk, share theories, and cooperate with law enforcement.”
Simon said “crimes like this are rare anywhere, but the thought of this happening on a beautiful, peaceful place like Saipan is unthinkable. The FBI will not give up on these efforts until there is no more investigation to be done. We ask that the people of Saipan join us in this commitment.”
Department of Public Safety Commissioner Ramon C. Mafnas earlier said potential witnesses would be kept anonymous and protected.
The total reward money for any information leading to the recovery of the sisters or prosecution of person or persons behind their disappearance is now $50,000.
Call 911, the FBI at 322-6934, the girls’ family hotline at 285-4048 or the Crime Stoppers at 234-7272.
