The Alameda County District Attorney's Office filed murder charges against Giselle Esteban Thursday morning for the murder of Michelle Le, but Esteban's 2 p.m. arraignment was scratched for medical reasons according to the court clerk.
Sources tell NBC Bay Area that Esteban had to be taken to a nearby hospital suffering from contractions. Hayward police spokesman confirmed to NBC Bay Area that she is pregnant.
Hayward police would not comment on her medical condtion, but said she was back in Santa Rita jail Thursday night and did not need extended hospital care.
It must not have been anything serious, because her arraignment was scheduled for Friday at 2 p.m.
Hayward police say they believe Esteban killed her former high school back in May.
Le is the 26-year old nursing student who was last seen on May 27 at the Kaiser Hayward. Her teacher reported her missing after she didn't return from a class break.
Esteban has been a person of interest in Le's disappearance from the beginning, but Hayward police arrested her Wednesday.
Both Le and Esteban grew up in San Diego and graduated from Mt. Carmel High before moving to Hayward. Esteban and Le were friends at Mt. Carmel and they both ended up living in the Bay Area after high school. The two had a falling out at some point. Esteban told a KGO reporter that she "openly hates Michelle" for stealing her boyfriend, but added that she did not kill Le.
Esteban's ex-boyfriend and the father of her child filed a restraining order against Esteban three days before Le disappeared, according to the Contra Costa Times. Court documents said that Esteban had been exhibiting erratic and threatening behavior.
Hayward police investigators held a news conference Wednesday to release new details on the case and to explain their case against Esteban (pdf).
- Police said they had surveillance video of Esteban near Le's vehicle before and after it was in the hospital parking lot.
- They said they also had evidence that proved Estaben was inside Le's car.
- They said GPS tracking showed the both Esteban's and Le's cell phones went the same general direction of the Niles Canyon/Sunol area the night Le disappeared.
- And they said they found evidence of Le's DNA on a shoe taken during a search of Esteban's home.
