BY DANIEL M. PEREZ
Journal Staff
The Federal Bureau of Investigation formally dismissed claims on Thursday regarding a viral social media video that purported to reveal the whereabouts of a local girl who vanished 15 years ago.
Sarah Rice, spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Investigation Honolulu Field Office, confirmed that federal authorities conducted a thorough investigation of the online footage and determined that the assertions are entirely false. Rice noted that official updates will only be issued when new information is verified through investigative channels.
The controversy surfaced early Wednesday when a video was published on the YouTube channel Real Right and Uncut. In the recording, an adult female interviewed inside a vehicle exhibited erratic behavior while claiming to be Faloma Luhk, one of two sisters who disappeared from a Saipan bus stop in 2011.
Law enforcement sources subsequently identified the woman as Mia R. Ayers, a 25-year-old U.S. citizen with an active criminal record in Guilford County, North Carolina, which includes previous charges for armed robbery and possession of stolen property. Prior to the federal confirmation, local leaders urged the public to remain patient while official entities vetted the material.
Kimberlyn King-Hinds, delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives for the NMI, transferred the footage to federal authorities for formal review due to the high level of community concern.
NMI Gov. David M. Apatang, noted that his administration would defer entirely to the expertise of federal investigators rather than engaging in premature public speculation. Apatang emphasized that his office continues to respect and support the ongoing investigation at both the local and national levels. The case remains one of the most prominent unsolved investigations in the NMI.
Faloma Luhk was 10 years old and her sister, Maleina Luhk, was nine years old when they were last seen waiting for a school bus in the village of As Teo on May 25, 2011. Despite an extensive search operation that mobilized local police, federal personnel, and hundreds of community volunteers, no traces of the sisters were ever recovered.
The FBI maintains an active reward of up to $25,000 for verified information that leads directly to the discovery or recovery of the sisters. mbj
Journal Staff
The Federal Bureau of Investigation formally dismissed claims on Thursday regarding a viral social media video that purported to reveal the whereabouts of a local girl who vanished 15 years ago.
Sarah Rice, spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Investigation Honolulu Field Office, confirmed that federal authorities conducted a thorough investigation of the online footage and determined that the assertions are entirely false. Rice noted that official updates will only be issued when new information is verified through investigative channels.
The controversy surfaced early Wednesday when a video was published on the YouTube channel Real Right and Uncut. In the recording, an adult female interviewed inside a vehicle exhibited erratic behavior while claiming to be Faloma Luhk, one of two sisters who disappeared from a Saipan bus stop in 2011.
Law enforcement sources subsequently identified the woman as Mia R. Ayers, a 25-year-old U.S. citizen with an active criminal record in Guilford County, North Carolina, which includes previous charges for armed robbery and possession of stolen property. Prior to the federal confirmation, local leaders urged the public to remain patient while official entities vetted the material.
Kimberlyn King-Hinds, delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives for the NMI, transferred the footage to federal authorities for formal review due to the high level of community concern.
NMI Gov. David M. Apatang, noted that his administration would defer entirely to the expertise of federal investigators rather than engaging in premature public speculation. Apatang emphasized that his office continues to respect and support the ongoing investigation at both the local and national levels. The case remains one of the most prominent unsolved investigations in the NMI.
Faloma Luhk was 10 years old and her sister, Maleina Luhk, was nine years old when they were last seen waiting for a school bus in the village of As Teo on May 25, 2011. Despite an extensive search operation that mobilized local police, federal personnel, and hundreds of community volunteers, no traces of the sisters were ever recovered.
The FBI maintains an active reward of up to $25,000 for verified information that leads directly to the discovery or recovery of the sisters. mbj
