On Sunday, army investigators have revealed that the dead remains found in a shallow grave last Tuesday, belongs to Spc Vanessa Guillen. She was missing from the base since April this year.
A 20-year-old soldier was last seen alive at the Texas Army base on April 22, officials said. She informed her family and friends about being harassed by the sergeant after which she vanished. Her remains were found on June 30.
Natalie Khawam – Guillen’s family attorney reported that the recovered bones, hair, and other remains were used to identify Guillén on July 3. She further said that Guillen couldn’t be identified by her medical records because her face had been beaten brutally. Her remains had to be sent to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to be identified.
Khawam reported that the family told her that Guillen had planned to file a harassment complaint against Robinson.
“It’s just been a sad morning and weekend for us,” Khawam said.
The main suspect in the case is identified by officials on Thursday as Spc. Aaron David Robinson
Robinson shot himself on early Wednesday after being confronted by investigators, according to the Killeen Police Department. He fled Fort Hood on Tuesday night before he could be arrested by the investigators. The officials informed –
‘As officers attempted to make contact with the suspect, the suspect displayed a weapon and discharged it toward himself. The suspect succumbed from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.’
Fort Hood officials also said they were not aware of reports of sexual harassment involving Robinson but the investigation was ongoing.
Authorities have arrested one more suspect in the case as Cecily Anne Aguilar. She is known to be the estranged wife of a former soldier from Fort Hood
Aguilar 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.
From the sources, it has been shown that Aguilar is involved in helping Robinson, dismembering, and disposing of Guillen’s body. At present, she is being held on a conspiracy to tamper charge and could face 20 years in jail and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
Thursday during a press conference, Senior Special Agent Damon Phelps (CID) said that investigators were looking into Robinson’s connection with Guillen. While both were at Fort Hood, they were not in the same command and did not work in the same building.
The lawyer for Guillen’s family says the young woman was killed with a hammer on base before being dismembered and buried in concrete
Phelps also denied the claims of Guillen’s family that she was sexually harassed by a sergeant. He also said that there was ‘no credible information’ to support their claim. Though Guillen has previously made complaints about a superior officer, officials said Robinson was not in her chain of command.
Officials have not confirmed her relationship with Robinson. But in a separate press conference Thursday, Khawam claimed that Aguilar was Robinson’s girlfriend.
Khawam also reported that the man had used a hammer and began ‘bludgeoning her head over and over’. She continued saying that she was told by officials –
“Robinson cleaned up the area where Guillen was killed, placed her body in a container, and wheeled her out to his car.”
Khawam also mentioned that the pair tried to burn Guillen’s body, but later dismembered it with a machete. Then, they put cement on her body and buried the remains.
On Wednesday, a picture of the site was revealed for the first time as Miller announced they found the lid to a Pelican storage case which prompted them to continue the search in the area.
Texas Equusearch’s Tim Miller, who was assisting in the search for Guillen, said that attempts had been made to keep the body well-concealed and it was discovered only after a man working in the area noticed a foul smell.
‘It appears he buried her, put lime on her, mixed up concrete, but that over her, put dirt over her, rocks and stuff,’ Miller told.
Guillen’s sister Mayra (pictured speaking), told reporters in DC she met the suspect who killed himself when she went to the Fort Hood base and that he laughed in her face
A witness had previously said they saw a case being loaded into a car at around 8.30 pm close to the time that Guillen first disappeared in April. The discovery was made as the Army announced they were promoting Guillen. She was promoted to Specialist on Monday.
The Guillen’s family held an emotional press conference Wednesday in which Guillen’s sister Mayra claimed that she met Robinson during a visit to the base.
‘When I first went up to that base, that subject, I met him not knowing that he had something to do with it. I felt something was telling me that he did something. He still had the nerve that same day to laugh in my face and apparently now he kills himself,’ she said.
‘Why? I don’t know, but whoever is responsible has to pay.’
