U.S. ArmyBy MEREDITH DELISO and ABBY CRUZ, ABC News
(KILLEEN, Texas) — The Army has identified the remains of missing Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen, her family’s lawyer said in a statement Sunday evening.
Guillen, 20, was last seen in a parking lot on the Texas Army base on April 22, according to military officials. On June 30, investigators said they found unidentified human remains about 20 miles away from the Killeen, Texas, base.
“The Army has confirmed that the bones, hair and other remains found are Vanessa Guillen,” attorney Natalie Khawam said Sunday in the statement. “We are at a loss for words.”
The Army Criminal Investigation Division has yet to independently confirm the identification. ABC News has reached out to Army CID for comment.
One of two suspects in the case died by suicide on July 1 after being confronted by Killeen police officers and federal marshals, investigators said. The suspect, Aaron David Robinson, 20, was a fellow Fort Hood soldier and one of the last people in touch with Guillen based on cellphone records, according to court documents.
The second suspect, Cecily Aguilar, 22, has been identified in court documents as Robinson’s girlfriend. Aguilar allegedly admitted to CID investigators that Robinson told her he bludgeoned Guillen to death with a hammer, according to court documents. Aguilar allegedly helped him dispose of the victim’s body by dismembering and burying it, according to court records.
Aguilar was arrested July 1 and charged with one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence. She is expected in federal court in Waco, Texas, for arraignment on Monday. An attorney for her was not listed among online court records.
Khawam previously said investigators told her that Guillen and Robinson had an argument in the base’s armory after she discovered his alleged affair with the estranged wife of a former soldier. The Army has not publicly confirmed that motive.
The Guillen family and Khawam have also alleged that a man had walked in on Guillen and watched her as she showered. Guillen did not report the incident because she feared reprisals, her family said. Military officials said that they didn’t find evidence of sexual harassment to confirm her family’s accusations.
Guillen’s family is calling for a congressional investigation into Guillen’s death. The family also wants to pass a bill called “I am Vanessa Guillen” to help protect both men and women from sexual harassment.
“Our country has lost a beautiful young soldier because the system is broken,” Khawam said Sunday. “Congress must pass the #IAMVANESSAGUILLEN Bill immediately!”
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