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Army suspects foul play in disappearance

KILLEEN, Texas (AP) — U.S. Army investigators are suspecting foul play in the disappearance of a Texas soldier who has been missing for two months, a congresswoman confirmed Tuesday.

Pfc. Vanessa Guillen’s disappearance is being treated as a criminal investigation after she went missing April 22, U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia said.

“We don’t want just attention. We want action. We want answers,” Garcia said. “We’ve got to remember that this is a family that is hurting.”

Garcia, representing Texas’s 29th congressional district, and Guillen’s family met with Army leaders to discuss the investigation into the disappearance of the 20-year-old Fort Hood soldier.

During the meeting, family members told Army officials that Guillen told them she’d been sexually harassed by her superiors. But Guillen didn’t report the harassment because she was afraid of retaliation, said Natalie Khawam, the family’s attorney.

Khawam said she wants Congress to conduct an investigation into how the case is being handled because Army investigators haven’t been disclosing details.

“There’s something extremely troubling about this case. A military base is probably one of the most secure places you can be. You have ID check-ins. There are security cameras everywhere,” Khawam said.

Guillen was last seen at a Fort Hood parking lot wearing a black T-shirt and purple workout pants.

Guillen’s car, keys and wallet were all left behind in the armory room where she was working earlier in the day on April 22, and her phone is missing.

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