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Post by Admin on Jun 28, 2020 16:09:53 GMT
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Post by Admin on Jun 28, 2020 16:10:01 GMT
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Post by Admin on Jun 28, 2020 16:11:34 GMT
6/27/20 Vanessa Guillen
The U.S. Army, which has come under criticism by the family of missing Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen, is speaking out, addressing questions about the investigation into her disappearance more than two months ago.
The Army's move comes days after investigators said they suspect foul play related to her disappearance and opened up a separate inquiry looking into allegations that she was sexually harassed by a supervisor.
"Where's my sister? They know where she is and I want them to speak up and I want answers and I want them now," Lupe Guillen, Vanessa's sister, told NBC affiliate KCEN in Temple, Texas, during a protest Friday. "My eyes are dried out because I can't even cry anymore."
The Army included with its list of answered frequently asked questions about the case a message, saying: "We are very concerned for the welfare of PFC Vanessa Guillen and we fully understand the frustration felt by the family, friends and fellow Soldiers of Vanessa. We are doing everything in our power to get her back and will not stop until we do."
Private First Class Vanessa Guillen, 20, was last seen at a parking lot at Fort Hood, Texas, where she was stationed, on April 22. Officials said that “her car keys, barracks room key, identification card and wallet” were found in the armory room where she was working on the day she disappeared.
Since then, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID), the FBI and other agencies have been involved in the seach for Guillen.
The Guillen family has been calling for "a bigger agency, such as the FBI," which is already involved in the search, to take over the investigation. The Army's list of questions and answers addresses such concerns.
The Army said it is "the lead investigative agency" looking into Vanessa's disappearance because it "falls within our jurisdiction."
It also said that its criminal investigation unit has "no credible information or reports that Vanessa was sexually assaulted."
"Additionally, we are not aware of any report of sexual harassment from Pfc. Guillen or any other Soldier on her behalf. However, we are looking at all possibilities and have not ruled anything in or out. Fort Hood has opened an investigation into reports of sexual harassment that the Guillen family has reported," the Army wrote.
Vanessa’s sister, Mayra Guillen, previously told Dateline that Vanessa had previously expressed to their mother that she felt unsafe at Fort Hood and that a sergeant had been sexually harassing her. Mayra said Vanessa never identified that person and never reported the incidents to the Army’s sexual harassment and prevention program.
As part of the ongoing investigation, the Army said it is looking into surveillance video, as she was last seen inside a federal building.
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Post by Admin on Jun 29, 2020 20:54:35 GMT
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Post by Admin on Jun 29, 2020 21:03:28 GMT
6/28/20 Vanessa G
.military women.coming.forward
FORT HOOD, Texas - The search for missing Fort Hood soldier Pfc. Vanessa Guillen continued on Sunday. Texas Equusearch combed Bell County with a helicopter, ATV’s and a ground crew.
The 20-year-old Houston woman disappeared from Fort Hood on April 22. She told her family and friends she was being sexually harassed on post. “Which is unacceptable because she was supposed to be safe while working, protecting the country we live in,” said Lupe Guillen, Vanessa Guillen’s sister.
Her lawyer Natalie Khawam said, “Guillen had a sergeant come into a shower, inappropriately walk into a shower while she was naked.”
It is unclear if Guillen’s disappearance is linked to the reported sexual harassment. A spokesperson for Army CID says they have no credible information that Guillen was sexually harassed or assaulted but say they have not ruled anything out.
Guillen's regiment has assigned an investigating officer to determine if any sexual misconduct took place in the unit. CID is working with that officer.
Guillen’s story has prompted hundreds of women to share their own experiences with sexual misconduct in the military on social media, using the hashtag #iamvanessaguillen.
“I want people to know that us women, and women in the military we don’t need to be protected, we need to be respected,” said Yarimar Lewis. 19-year-old Lewis was also a Private First Class at Fort Hood. “I wanted to serve my country,” she explained. Lewis says she was also sexually harassed by a superior on post. “I chose to use the #iamvanessaguillen because you know it’s been 19 years since this particular incident. I was a 19-year-old I was a Pfc. I was new to Fort Hood, my first duty station and things have not changed.”
U.S. Army investigators suspect foul play in Guillen's disappearance.
“Nothing has changed, the culture is still the same even though we have SHARP (Sexual Harassment Assault Response Prevention) training and people are required to attend these trainings on a yearly basis it doesn’t address the actual culture.” Lewis would like to see sexual misconduct investigations separate from the army chain of command, something Guillen's family has also called for. “‘It’s difficult for the chain of command to separate themselves from ‘hey I know this person we worked together, we deployed together, we don’t want to see their career end and so that becomes a priority versus the safety and the equality of women in the military.’”she explained.
Texas Equusearch founder Tim Miller says the group will resume searching for Guillen mid-week.
A news conference was held after a meeting with Ft. Hood officials to discuss the latest findings in the search for Guillen and what the family intends to do moving forward.
“You know, the more we speak, the more we put ourselves out there the more we can help others speak up,” said Lewis.
Tiffany Summa also spoke up, sharing her story with the #iamvanessaguillen. In a social media post, she wrote “I never got justice. But I will fight like hell for Vanessa to[o]. That’s why I’m sharing.” Summa was 20 and had just arrived home from Iraq when she says she was sexually assaulted by someone she deployed with. She says she also believes sexual misconduct investigations need to separate from the chain of command. “Your abuser may be in that very chain of command,” she explained. She says even if the assailant is of lower rank, “a young soldier should never have to sit with his or her boss and tell in great detail, over and over again, about the worst night of their life. Rank should never be a factor in the reporting process.” She says as soon as she learned about Guillen’s disappearance and sexual harassment complaints, “it was what I had and so many [military sexual trauma victims] had feared in our own cases."
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Post by Admin on Jul 7, 2020 4:32:50 GMT
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Post by Admin on Jul 7, 2020 4:34:25 GMT
7/6/20 Vanessa G
By Marie Weidmayer July 6, 2020
JACKSON COUNTY, MI – A woman arrested and charged for allegedly helping hide a body in Texas once lived in Jackson, Michigan, records show.
Cecily Aguilar, 22, is charged with a felony count of mutilating and destroying to impede an investigation, court records from July 6 in the United State District Court Western District of Texas show.
Aguilar is accused of helping hide the body of Spc. Vanessa Guillén, whose remains were found buried near U.S. Army post Fort Hood, in Killeen, Texas, a report from the Associated Press said.
Guillén, 20, was last seen April 22. The AP reports she was killed by fellow solider, Aaron David Robinson, who died by suicide July 1, federal and military investigators said. Aguilar and Robinson were dating, per court records.
Aguilar, also known as Cecily Brown, lived in Jackson County for several years. She attended Napoleon Community Schools from fourth to eighth grade, in 2012, the district said. She graduated from Columbia Options High School in 2017, according to the Brooklyn Exponent. She moved to the area of Killeen, Texas in 2019, according to records and her social media profiles.
Guillén’s remains were found June 30, but were authorities were unable to identify her because of the state the remains were in, AP reported. She was identified by DNA from bone and hair samples.
Robinson sexually harassed Guillén, her family said, and they are calling for a congressional investigation, per AP. There is no credible evidence Guillén was sexually harassed or assaulted, Army investigators said previously.
Aguilar is being held in McLennan County Jail, records show. She is scheduled for a preliminary hearing July 14, records show.
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Post by Admin on Jul 7, 2020 4:35:48 GMT
By Marie Weidmayer July 6, 2020
JACKSON COUNTY, MI – A woman arrested and charged for allegedly helping hide a body in Texas once lived in Jackson, Michigan, records show.
Cecily Aguilar, 22, is charged with a felony count of mutilating and destroying to impede an investigation, court records from July 6 in the United State District Court Western District of Texas show.
Aguilar is accused of helping hide the body of Spc. Vanessa Guillén, whose remains were found buried near U.S. Army post Fort Hood, in Killeen, Texas, a report from the Associated Press said.
Guillén, 20, was last seen April 22. The AP reports she was killed by fellow solider, Aaron David Robinson, who died by suicide July 1, federal and military investigators said. Aguilar and Robinson were dating, per court records.
Aguilar, also known as Cecily Brown, lived in Jackson County for several years. She attended Napoleon Community Schools from fourth to eighth grade, in 2012, the district said. She graduated from Columbia Options High School in 2017, according to the Brooklyn Exponent. She moved to the area of Killeen, Texas in 2019, according to records and her social media profiles.
Guillén’s remains were found June 30, but were authorities were unable to identify her because of the state the remains were in, AP reported. She was identified by DNA from bone and hair samples.
Robinson sexually harassed Guillén, her family said, and they are calling for a congressional investigation, per AP. There is no credible evidence Guillén was sexually harassed or assaulted, Army investigators said previously.
Aguilar is being held in McLennan County Jail, records show. She is scheduled for a preliminary hearing July 14, records show.
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Post by Admin on Jul 12, 2020 6:38:48 GMT
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Post by Admin on Jul 12, 2020 6:40:27 GMT
7/10/20 Vanessa G
Jul. 10, 2020, 2:15 PM CDT / Actualizado Jul. 10, 2020, 6:51 PM CDT
El presidente, Donald Trump, ha hablado este viernes en una entrevista exclusiva con Noticias Telemundo sobre el asesinato de la soldado Vanessa Guillén, que desapareció el 22 de abril de la base texana de Fort Hood y cuyos restos fueron localizados la semana pasada enterrados junto a un río cercano.
"Vamos a investigar mucho", dijo el presidente, "lo vi en las noticias el otro día y pensé que era terrible, y di ordenes específicas, quiero saber todo al respecto, van a informarme al respecto el lunes y podré revelar algo en ese momento".
"Pensé que era horrible", concluyó, "pensé que era absolutamente horrible".
Apenas unas horas antes, el Ejército hizo público que había ordenado una investigación independiente sobre Fort Hood que, entre otras cuestiones, aclare las acusaciones de abuso sexual reportadas por otras mujeres.
"El propósito de esta revisión independiente es determinar si el clima y la cultura del comando en Fort Hood y la comunidad militar que rodea Fort Hood refleja los valores del Ejército, incluidos el respeto, la inclusión y los lugares de trabajo libres de acoso sexual, y un compromiso con la diversidad", explicó el secretario del Ejército, Ryan McCarthy.
"Tenemos que asegurar que los miembros hispanos en servicio puedan ejercer su labor sin obstáculos de discriminación", añadió, "que tengan la oportunidad de progresar en todos los niveles y que pueden hacerlo sin temor a actos criminales como abuso sexual y acoso".
Vanessa Guillén había reportado un incidente de presunto abuso sexual por parte de un superior varón que entró a las duchas de mujeres cuando ella se estaba bañando. La soldado, de 20 años, también había comentado a su familia sobre el asunto. Sin embargo, su queja fue desestimada porque las autoridades militares dijeron que no había evidencia suficiente.
[La aterradora cronología de lo que pudo ocurrir a Vanessa Guillén]
Según McCarthy, si la investigación encuentra que se cometieron errores en el manejo de este caso, se tomarán medidas en contra de quien corresponda "a cualquier nivel".
Tras el hallazgo de los restos cerca del río Leon, en las inmediaciones de Fort Hood, la familia de Guillén dijo en una entrevista con Noticias Telemundo que no se detendrá en su lucha por obtener justicia tras el asesinato.
"¿Por qué tanta maldad? No entiendo qué hizo mi niña, si era un ángel, Dios sabe que era un ángel", lamentó la madre de Vanessa, quien también exigió una investigación para esclarecer lo sucedido.
El manejo de la investigación desató protestas de la familia y la indignación de la comunidad, así como de activistas, políticos y artistas que se manifestaron afuera de la base militar en varias ocasiones.
El precandidato demócrata Joe Biden dijo estar "desolado por esa insensata pérdida", e hizo un llamado a erradicar la violencia sexual dentro del Ejército.
El principal sospechoso del crimen fue identificado por las autoridades como Aaron David Robinson, quien se suicidó cuando los agentes trataron de arrestarlo.
Cecily Ann Aguilar, la expareja de Robinson, se encuentra detenida y enfrenta cargos por colaborar para ocultar el cadáver de Guillén.
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Post by Admin on Jul 12, 2020 6:41:00 GMT
Jul. 10, 2020, 2:15 PM CDT / Actualizado Jul. 10, 2020, 6:51 PM CDT
El presidente, Donald Trump, ha hablado este viernes en una entrevista exclusiva con Noticias Telemundo sobre el asesinato de la soldado Vanessa Guillén, que desapareció el 22 de abril de la base texana de Fort Hood y cuyos restos fueron localizados la semana pasada enterrados junto a un río cercano.
"Vamos a investigar mucho", dijo el presidente, "lo vi en las noticias el otro día y pensé que era terrible, y di ordenes específicas, quiero saber todo al respecto, van a informarme al respecto el lunes y podré revelar algo en ese momento".
"Pensé que era horrible", concluyó, "pensé que era absolutamente horrible".
Apenas unas horas antes, el Ejército hizo público que había ordenado una investigación independiente sobre Fort Hood que, entre otras cuestiones, aclare las acusaciones de abuso sexual reportadas por otras mujeres.
"El propósito de esta revisión independiente es determinar si el clima y la cultura del comando en Fort Hood y la comunidad militar que rodea Fort Hood refleja los valores del Ejército, incluidos el respeto, la inclusión y los lugares de trabajo libres de acoso sexual, y un compromiso con la diversidad", explicó el secretario del Ejército, Ryan McCarthy.
"Tenemos que asegurar que los miembros hispanos en servicio puedan ejercer su labor sin obstáculos de discriminación", añadió, "que tengan la oportunidad de progresar en todos los niveles y que pueden hacerlo sin temor a actos criminales como abuso sexual y acoso".
Vanessa Guillén había reportado un incidente de presunto abuso sexual por parte de un superior varón que entró a las duchas de mujeres cuando ella se estaba bañando. La soldado, de 20 años, también había comentado a su familia sobre el asunto. Sin embargo, su queja fue desestimada porque las autoridades militares dijeron que no había evidencia suficiente.
[La aterradora cronología de lo que pudo ocurrir a Vanessa Guillén]
Según McCarthy, si la investigación encuentra que se cometieron errores en el manejo de este caso, se tomarán medidas en contra de quien corresponda "a cualquier nivel".
Tras el hallazgo de los restos cerca del río Leon, en las inmediaciones de Fort Hood, la familia de Guillén dijo en una entrevista con Noticias Telemundo que no se detendrá en su lucha por obtener justicia tras el asesinato.
"¿Por qué tanta maldad? No entiendo qué hizo mi niña, si era un ángel, Dios sabe que era un ángel", lamentó la madre de Vanessa, quien también exigió una investigación para esclarecer lo sucedido.
El manejo de la investigación desató protestas de la familia y la indignación de la comunidad, así como de activistas, políticos y artistas que se manifestaron afuera de la base militar en varias ocasiones.
El precandidato demócrata Joe Biden dijo estar "desolado por esa insensata pérdida", e hizo un llamado a erradicar la violencia sexual dentro del Ejército.
El principal sospechoso del crimen fue identificado por las autoridades como Aaron David Robinson, quien se suicidó cuando los agentes trataron de arrestarlo.
Cecily Ann Aguilar, la expareja de Robinson, se encuentra detenida y enfrenta cargos por colaborar para ocultar el cadáver de Guillén.
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Post by Admin on Jul 12, 2020 20:30:31 GMT
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Post by Admin on Jul 12, 2020 20:30:54 GMT
7/10/20 Vanessa G
Study Vanessa Guillén’s face.
In photographs that freeze-frame a beautiful, bright-eyed young soldier eager to serve her country. In murals and memorials appearing in the Houston neighborhood where she grew up, her image flanked by Mexican and American flags, her shoulders sprouting angel’s wings.
Listen to her distraught mother, who spent two long months pleading for Fort Hood officials to do more to help find her daughter after the Army specialist disappeared from the post on April 22. Before her disappearance, Vanessa confided to family and friends that she was being sexually harassed. “I begged them to help me, to shut down the base and to help me find my little girl … to turn over every stone looking for her,” Gloria Guillén told Univision’s Jorge Ramos. “They never paid attention to me. Never.”
Feel the rage and grief that spilled from her little sister the day after the family learned that Vanessa’s remains had been found in a shallow grave east of Fort Hood. “For two months, we did not get answers. Two months,” 16-year-old Lupe Guillén, her face streaked with tears, said at a press conference. “They treated my sister like a joke. My sister is not a joke. She is a human being. My sister, Vanessa Guillén, gave her life to this country, gave her life for us — and look how they treated her.”
A federal complaint from July 2 alleges that another soldier — who officials say killed himself as police closed in — bludgeoned Vanessa to death the same day she went missing and hid her body in a large box. The soldier’s girlfriend, who the Justice Department says has confessed, is charged with helping him dismember and burn her remains.
Her older sister Mayra suspected something was wrong as soon as Vanessa stopped replying to texts and voice mail messages on April 22. She immediately reported her missing to Fort Hood officials and, that same day, drove three hours from Houston to the post in Killeen.
We don’t know what warning signs may have existed in the months before Vanessa’s death that the Army may have ignored. But that’s precisely why we need an investigation.
Fort Hood officials say thousands of soldiers assisted in the search for Vanessa and another 300 were interviewed during the investigation into her disappearance. “We never quit and we never leave a fallen comrade,” Col. Ralph Overland, commander of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment and Vanessa’s regimental commander, said in a statement.
That’s not how the family sees it. Instead, they say their pleas for help were met with roadblocks and misinformation. They say Fort Hood officials didn’t take seriously their concerns about the sexual harassment and how that might be tied to Vanessa’s disappearance. They were not allowed to see reports, timelines or interviews with witnesses, according to family attorney Natalie Khawam.
That’s why the family wants a congressional investigation — because they believe the military cannot adequately investigate itself. That’s also why Khawam is pushing for a law in Vanessa’s name that would create an independent agency where members of the military could report sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Both would be necessary steps — and could keep other soldiers from suffering as Vanessa did and prevent other families from being put through this unimaginable pain.
Vanessa’s case has called attention to a military culture that often ignores or overlooks allegations of sexual harassment and discourages service members from reporting abuse. More than 6,200 reports of sexual assaults of service members were recorded in the military last year, a 3 percent increase from 2018 figures, according to a Defense Department report.
Since Vanessa’s disappearance, Khawam says she has heard from dozens of service members who experienced sexual harassment and assault in the military. Hundreds have posted story after grim story of sexual misconduct in the military using the social media hashtag #IamVanessaGuillén.
Vanessa’s family deserves answers. They deserve to know how she could vanish and turn up dead from a military post where soldiers should be safe. They deserve to know why she was scared to report the sexual harassment she told her friends and family about to her superiors.
We should all be joining that call for answers. After all, Vanessa was one of our own. A Houston girl who grew up in the city’s southeast side and graduated from Cesar Chavez High School. An athlete who loved soccer, cross country track — and jumping rope with her sister Mayra. A Latina with a deep devotion to her faith who always wore a necklace with the Virgen de Guadalupe around her neck. She had dreamed of joining the Army since she was 10 and couldn’t wait to don a uniform, Mayra told me. She enlisted while still in high school, and went off to basic training just a few days after graduation.
Mayra, who turned 22 on June 30, the same day her sister’s remains were found, is still struggling to accept that she will never see Vanessa again. As is her whole family. Her mother’s sorrow, Mayra said, is terrible to behold.
In the weeks since her disappearance, thousands of people — those who loved her and scores who never met her — have spoken out for #JusticeforVanessa. Her name has echoed in social media campaigns. In marches and vigils in dozens of cities. In murals where visitors leave candles and crosses, bouquets of flowers and hand-lettered signs.
Nearly 90 lawmakers signed a letter from Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Tex.) calling for an independent investigation into Vanessa’s disappearance and death by the Pentagon’s inspector general, and more than 2,500 servicewomen and veterans signed a letter demanding a congressional investigation.
Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy on Friday announced an independent review of “the command climate and culture at Fort Hood.”
“She stood up for this country, to fight for freedom for this country,” reads a message on an American flag left at one of the Houston memorials. “‘We the people’ standing for her … since this country failed to stand for Vanessa.”
Vanessa Guillén was one of our own. Say her name — and stand for her.
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Post by Admin on Jul 15, 2020 0:26:55 GMT
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Post by Admin on Jul 15, 2020 0:27:19 GMT
7/14/20 Vanessa
Cecily Aguilar, charged with helping dispose of the body of murder victim Vanessa Guillén, was held without bond in a federal detention hearing Tuesday afternoon in Waco.
Aguilar, 22, is accused of helping her boyfriend Aaron Robinson — a Fort Hood soldier authorities say killed fellow soldier Guillén — dismember Guillén’s body and bury her along the Leon River. The FBI said in court documents that Robinson bludgeoned Army Specialist Guillén to death with a hammer on April 22. There were extensive searches for the 20-year-old Houston native after she went missing that day. Robinson shot and killed himself as law enforcement officers confronted him along a Killeen road after the discovery of the remains later determined to be those of Guillén, a member of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment.
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