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Human remains identified as missing Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen, family attorney says
Jul 5, 2020, 6:38 PM | Updated: Jan 25, 2023, 11:56 am
Dawn Gomez holds her 3-year-old granddaughter, Saryia Greer, who waves at Vanessa Guillen's mural painted by Alejandro "Donkeeboy" Roman Jr. on the side of Taqueria Del Sol, Thursday, July 2, 2020, in Houston. Army investigators believe Guillen, a Texas soldier missing since April, was killed by another soldier on the Texas base where they served, the attorney for the missing soldier's family said Thursday. (Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle via AP)
(Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle via AP)
(CNN) — Human remains found in a shallow Texas grave were positively identified as Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen on Sunday, according to Guillen family attorney Natalie Khawam.
Guillen, 20, had been missing since April and was last seen in the parking lot of her barracks at Fort Hood on April 22, according to the US Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID). Her remains were found June 30.
Guillen was bludgeoned to death with a hammer in the armory room where she worked. Her body was transported from the military installation by her killer, Khawam said citing details the family learned during a meeting with Army investigators Thursday.
Khawam told CNN on Sunday that Guillen couldn’t be identified by her medical records because her face had been beaten so badly. Her remains had to be sent to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to be identified.
“It’s just been a sad morning and weekend for us,” Khawam said.
The main suspect in disappearance was identified by officials on Thursday as Spc. Aaron David Robinson, who shot himself Wednesday after being confronted by investigators, according to the Killeen Police Department.
Khawam said the family told her that Guillen had planned to file a harassment complaint against Robinson the day after she was killed, and that they believe Robinson became enraged when she told him that. However, Robinson told authorities Guillen wanted to report him having a relationship with a married woman, something the Guillen family disputes.
Fort Hood officials said they were not aware of reports of sexual harassment involving Robinson but the investigation was ongoing.
Khawam said investigators told the family that Robinson called a woman he was involved with to help him dispose of Guillen’s body after moving it outside the base.
A woman identified as Cecily Anne Aguilar, who is the estranged wife of a former soldier from Fort Hood, was arrested by Texas Rangers in connection with Guillen’s disappearance. She is in Bell County Jail awaiting civilian authorities to press charges, CID said.
