Human Remains Found in Search for Missing Fort Hood Soldier, Army Confirms

Vanessa Guillen, a 20-year-old soldier stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, in a file photo. (Fort Hood Press Center)

Army officials in Texas confirmed Tuesday that human remains were found in the search for missing soldier Vanessa Guillen, who went missing about two months ago.

Remains were discovered near the Leon River by U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, said Army spokesman Chris Grey.

“After receiving additional information, agents have discovered what has been described as partial human remains after analysis from a forensic anthropologist,” he told KWTX. “Army CID (Criminal Investigation Division) agents are currently on scene with the Texas Rangers, the FBI and Bell County Sheriff’s Department,” he added.

The identity of the remains has not been determined.

“No confirmation as to the identity of the remains has been made at this point and we ask for the media and public’s understanding that the identification process can take time,” Grey said.

Army officials in Texas confirmed Tuesday that human remains were found in the search for missing soldier Vanessa Guillen (US Army)

Guillen was last seen at the 3rd Cavalry Regiment Engineer Squadron Headquarters parking lot in Fort Hood.

Texas EquuSearch founder Tim Miller told ABC13 this week that when remains were found, “The search for Vanessa is now over.”

“It’s believed to be her ... pending positive identification which that will have to be determined by the medical examiner’s office, but I’m confident to say the search for Vanessa is now over,” said Miller.

Keys to her barracks and her car were left behind. Her wallet and ID card were also found in a room where she had worked.

Guillen is 5-foot-2, weighs 126 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black T-shirt and purple fitness pants.

The soldier’s family is demanding a congressional investigation into her disappearance, and they will hold a press conference in Washington on Wednesday.

Attorney Natalie Khawam alleged that Guillen was sexually harassed on the base.

“The facts aren’t good. I don’t like them,” said Khawam, according to ABC13. “There were a few incidents where she had told her colleagues, her friends, her family about being sexually harassed but she was afraid to report it. How does someone disappear on a base that has more protection and safeguards than anyone else on the planet?”

A spokesperson for the base said a “thorough investigation” is being conducted into the harassment claims.

No suspects have been named in the case.

In a separate incident, officials found a different set of remains off of the 3400 block of Florence Road in Killeen, near where searchers found a dead Fort Hood soldier, identified as  Gregory Wedel-Morales.