Parents abandon hope for missing daughter

The parents of  Yvonne Baldelli, a 42 year-old American, missing from Bocas del Toro since November, have given up hope of their daughter being  found alive.

Lillian Faust,  Baldelli's mother, told The Associated Press (AP) she thinks her daughter is dead and she pleaded for former US Marine Brian Brimager to come forward and say what he knows.

"My husband, I, the family know that something happened to her. Some people want to say that she's out there somewhere, but everyone in the family knows that's not possible," Faust said.

"We did not want to accept it for a long time, but we have accepted it," she added.

Alexis Muñoz, director of the Panama Department of Judicial Investigation, confirmed on Sunday that retired Brimager is a person of interest in the case.

Baldelli,  was last seen Nov. 26 on Carenero Island, one of a group of islands that make up the archipelago province of Bocas del Toro. Her King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, GeorgiaMae, and her adopted German shepherd mix, Monnecca,  are also missing, according to the family.

"Yvonne's loves her dogs, they are her babies, finding them may bring us closer to finding her," wrote sister Michelle Faust on the Facebook page, Find Yvonne Baldelli, set up by the family.

Brimager, 36, and Baldelli 42, who previously lived in Mission Viejo, California moved to Panama in September, said Alexis Muñoz, director of the Panama Department of Judicial Investigation. The couple rented an apartment, and Brimager played music in bars for tips, Muñoz told the AP.

Baldelli, recently divorced according to Faust, was a regional sales manager for Sebastian International before being laid off. Baldelli went to Panama for a fresh start, hoping to sell clothing on the island's beaches that she designed and produced. Baldelli handmade items for a line of dog clothing she labeled Sugarplum.Lovebug.Jujubee.

Baldelli called and emailed her family regularly. Her last correspondence was an email to her mother in November, according to reports.

Ten to twelve  days after Baldelli was last seen, Brimager left Panama for Costa Rica, eventually returning to the United States, Muñoz said. According to news reports, Brimager told people Baldelli had left him and he planned to return to Southern California.

CBS News,  reported that Brimager returned to California, got engaged and has married another woman.

An Amazon.com Wedding Registry entry for Brian Brimager and Kristin Werkhoven says  the two met in Washington, D.C., at a karaoke bar in 2004 and had a daughter in 2010.

"Brian got out of the Marine Corps in November 2011 and went on a vacation to Panama to detox from the Marine Corps. Now Brian is a professional father during the day and a professional student at night. We were engaged on  December 15 and on  December31  we had a civil ceremony to legalize our marriage."

"We love Yvonne, everyone who knows Yvonne loves Yvonne," Faust said in an interview with the Orange County Register in California. "We want to bring her home and we are appealing to the public to help us, whether it be by a letter to your congressman or senator, or by Facebook or by a phone call."

At a news conference last week, a $3,000 reward was offered for information leading to the whereabouts of Baldelli.

Witnesses at the hostel where Baldelli and Brimager were staying, known locally as Casa del Sapo, reported the couple had a "violent" relationship and frequently fought, Muñoz said. The former owners of Casa del Sapo, were allegedly murdered by Wild Bill Dathan Holbert, currently in jail in Panama awaiting trial

Baldelli's parents, who were living in a different part of Panama, had rented out their home and were staying in upstate New York to care for Baldelli's ill grandmother, Faust said.

They returned to Panama to search for their missing daughter.