Pregnant Marine is dead, comrade sought
Pregnant Marine is dead, comrade sought
By MIKE BAKER, Associated Press Writer 45 minutes ago
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. - A pregnant Marine missing for nearly a month is dead, and investigators were seeking a fellow Marine she had accused of sexually assaulting her, authorities said Friday.
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Authorities had not recovered the body of 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Maria Frances Lauterbach, but they believed she was buried in a shallow grave in a residential area of coastal Onslow County, Sheriff Ed Brown said.
The suspect, 21-year-old Cpl. Cesar Armando Lauren, has declined to meet with investigators and is not in custody, he said.
"They don't know where he is," Brown said of the suspect. "He's gone."
Lauterbach had claimed a superior had sexually assaulted her, and she was worried that the investigation was going nowhere, according to court documents. She vanished last month before she was to testify in a military probe.
Naval investigators said Friday the military was pursuing rape charges against Lauren, and had planned to hold a hearing in December.
The court papers said the anticipated birth of the baby "might provide evidentiary credence to charges she lodged with military authorities that she was sexually assaulted by a senior military person."
Brown said Lauren refused to speak with detectives, on the advice of his attorneys. Authorities said they didn't consider Lauren a flight risk until Friday, because they had information the pair carried on a "friendly relationship" after she reported the assault to military authorities.
The State Bureau of Investigation and the Marine Corps were assisting in the search for Lauren, who had not been charged with Lauterbach's death.
Lauterbach, originally from Dayton, Ohio, was reported missing Dec. 19 by her mother, who last spoke with her daughter on Dec. 14, authorities said. Her cell phone was found Dec. 20 near the main gate at Camp Lejeune, and she missed a scheduled Dec. 26 prenatal care appointment.
Authorities found her vehicle at a bus station near the base on the Atlantic coast, and an employee there has told investigators it has been there since about the time of her disappearance. Brown said Friday she had purchased a bus ticket to El Paso, Texas, the day after she spoke with her stepmother, but the ticket has not been used.
(This version corrects that information came from woman's mother, not her stepmother.)
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By MIKE BAKER, Associated Press Writer 45 minutes ago
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. - A pregnant Marine missing for nearly a month is dead, and investigators were seeking a fellow Marine she had accused of sexually assaulting her, authorities said Friday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Authorities had not recovered the body of 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Maria Frances Lauterbach, but they believed she was buried in a shallow grave in a residential area of coastal Onslow County, Sheriff Ed Brown said.
The suspect, 21-year-old Cpl. Cesar Armando Lauren, has declined to meet with investigators and is not in custody, he said.
"They don't know where he is," Brown said of the suspect. "He's gone."
Lauterbach had claimed a superior had sexually assaulted her, and she was worried that the investigation was going nowhere, according to court documents. She vanished last month before she was to testify in a military probe.
Naval investigators said Friday the military was pursuing rape charges against Lauren, and had planned to hold a hearing in December.
The court papers said the anticipated birth of the baby "might provide evidentiary credence to charges she lodged with military authorities that she was sexually assaulted by a senior military person."
Brown said Lauren refused to speak with detectives, on the advice of his attorneys. Authorities said they didn't consider Lauren a flight risk until Friday, because they had information the pair carried on a "friendly relationship" after she reported the assault to military authorities.
The State Bureau of Investigation and the Marine Corps were assisting in the search for Lauren, who had not been charged with Lauterbach's death.
Lauterbach, originally from Dayton, Ohio, was reported missing Dec. 19 by her mother, who last spoke with her daughter on Dec. 14, authorities said. Her cell phone was found Dec. 20 near the main gate at Camp Lejeune, and she missed a scheduled Dec. 26 prenatal care appointment.
Authorities found her vehicle at a bus station near the base on the Atlantic coast, and an employee there has told investigators it has been there since about the time of her disappearance. Brown said Friday she had purchased a bus ticket to El Paso, Texas, the day after she spoke with her stepmother, but the ticket has not been used.
(This version corrects that information came from woman's mother, not her stepmother.)
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Sounds like he's a murderer and about to become a deserter.
For our ever alert GB'ers, he drives a newer model black Dodge quad-cab with NC plates TRR1522 and was last seen in the Camp Lejeune area about 10 hours ago. I haven't heard where he's originally from and no word yet on what direction he might be headed.0 -
It wasn't me, I left Lejeune last May, never to return. Until I get orders back there.
In all seriousness, though, pray for everybody involved. The investigator on this case at the Onslow Sheriff's office is a close friend of mine (known him for 20+ years) and needs your prayers.0 -
cce,
I wish your friend all the success in the world in dealing with this travesty. I pray that things workout for the young Marine, but it sounds like they are pretty sure she has met a terrible demise. The truth will come out, and in the end this coward will pay the piper.
Trinity +++0 -
sure sounds like he`s got something to hide...i`d start looking at border crossings i think 0
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