A volunteer searching for missing Michelle Le found a body in the Niles/Sunol Canyon area around 10:30 a.m. Saturday, according to Hayward police.
Investigators were already in the area because Hayward police said they have been taking part in every search. Hayward police Lt. Roger Keener said the scene detective was immediately notified.
Le's family has conducted regular searches over the summer with the help of the Klaas Kids Foundation and community volunteers. Saturday was the 8th such search.
The body was found in a brushy area off a dirt road near Pleasanton Sunol Road.
Keener is the lead investigator in the disappearance of the nursing student from San Mateo. Le has not been seen since May 27. Hayward police have declared the case a homicide.
Keener said the body was decomposed to the point that even identifying whether it was a man or a woman was not immediately clear.
Because the remains were located in the Alameda Sheriff's jurisdiction the case is currently a joint investigation until it is determined whether or not the body is Le.
Le, 26, was last seen three months ago at Kaiser Hospital in Hayward. Le, a nursing student, left class during a break and didn't return.
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Police found her car parked a few blocks from the hospital the next day. It contained bloodstains that were later found to be from Le. A former friend, Giselle Esteban, 27, was arrested Sept. 7 on suspicion of murder. Police said footage from security cameras at the Kaiser parking garage showed that Esteban was present around the time of Le's disappearance.
Also, police said that cell phone records showed both women traveled on a similar path the night Le disappeared. That path included a trip to the general area where the remains were found Saturday. Police said GPS tracking showed both women's phones traveled from the Hayward hospital and the Niles Canyon area.
It was not immediately clear how long it would take to identify the remains. The coroner van left the wooded area just after 10 p.m. Saturday. Investigators said they would be back again to continue to look for clues Sunday.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
