Faloma and Maleina Luhk

Date of the Disappearance*: May 25, 2011

Description:

In the quiet village of As Teo on Saipan, part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a chilling mystery unfolded over a decade ago — one that continues to haunt a community and a family. On May 25, 2011, 10-year-old Faloma Luhk and her 9-year-old sister Maleina vanished without a trace. Despite extensive investigations, their whereabouts remain unknown.

The girls’ parents had separated earlier, and both worked off the island. As a result, Faloma and Maleina lived with their grandparents, Elbert and Jane Quitunga, in a warm and close community of extended family, friends, and neighbors. They attended Kagman Elementary School, about ten minutes away in the larger town of Kagman, where they settled in well and made several friends. Being close in age, the sisters were also very close to each other. Their mother described Faloma as “very quiet and shy,” while Maleina, who was only a few months younger, grew up to be “very tough and always taking care of her sister.”

Early in the morning of May 25, 2011 at around 6:00am, the girls hurried to the bus stop just a few hundred feet from their home. Their grandparents waved goodbye and watched them until the girls passed out of sight. The neighborhood had always been a safe community and it was not unusual for the children to be out and about without supervision. The bus stop was quite close and, though hidden from view, the girls were still just moments away from home while they waited.

The bus stop was situated at the intersection of Chalan Santa Lourdes and As Teo Drive. As Teo was a rural road, forming part of a small loop that connected several homes in the area. At the edge of the community, it met Chalan Santa Lourdes, a larger road that stretched east and west. Normally, the bus would have picked up the girls at the stop around 6:30 am before traveling down Chalan Santa Lourdes, then turning onto Route 31, heading south toward the elementary school. Route 31 is a major highway that forms a loop around most of the island’s populated areas.

May 25 was a Wednesday, the day the trash trucks typically passed through the neighborhood to collect garbage and take it to the landfill. The garbage collectors would stop at a trash can located near the pavilion and recalled seeing the girls at the bus stop each of the two weeks prior to their disappearance. However, on this morning, when they arrived at their usual time between 5:45am — 5:55am, they did not notice anyone else in the area.

The girls must have arrive just shortly afterwards however as a fellow classmate passed by at around 6:10 am and saw the girls sitting on a concrete slab across from the bus stop. Unfortunately, the girls were no longer there when the bus arrived twenty minutes later and neither made it to school. The school simply assumed they were absent for personal reasons and did not contact their family.

After school was released for the day, the girls’ grandparents expected them to arrive home at around 3:30pm (15:30) on the bus. As that time came and passed without any sign of the girls, the family called the school and learned of the girls’ disappearance. Faloma and Maleina were officially reported missing at approximately 5:30pm (17:30) and a search was rapidly launched but to no avail.Their immediate family members have all been cleared. This is considered a criminal abduction by someone outside of their family.

Photos

Faloma

Maleina

Timeline

• 5:45am – 5:55 am

  Garbage men arrive to pick up the trash around the neighborhood including beside the bus stop. They don’t see anyone in the area on this day.

• 6:00am

  Faloma and Meleina leave their grandparent’s home and walk the few hundred feet to their bus stop

• 6:10am

  Witnesses reported seeing both sisters sitting on the concrete platform across from the bus stop.

• 6:30am

  The bus arrived but neither girl was at the stop. The sisters have been missing ever since.

Multiple Victims?: Yes, Sisters

Rumored or Actual Sightings: Unknown

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

Date the Body was Recovered:

Description: Unknown

Time of Death:

Cause of Death:

Recovered Remains (if partial):

Suspected Homicide?:

Multiple Victims?:

DNA Tested (No Match):

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

Description: Grey Nissan Pickup (Truck)​

A truck matching this description was repeatedly seen by the garbage collectors in the area in the days leading up to the girls’ disappearance.

• May 11 ➡️ Truck was parked outside the Santa Lourdes Shrine.
• May 18 ➡️ Truck was seen driving towards the direction of the Bus Stop.

At both instances, the Luhk girls were also seen by the garbage collectors waiting on their bus.

The truck was not seen the day of their disappearance and so is simply a note of interest. If they were making frequent trips to the area, they may have information that could help the investigation.

License Plate: Unknown

Mr. Aquon was related to the Luhk sister’s and refused a polygraph after they disappeared. The rest of the family was ruled out and there is no direct evidence linking him to the case.

At this time, police have said they believe the girls were abducted by someone unrelated to them.