As unanswered questions loom over missing Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen, her family members spoke out about holding on to hope that the system that “failed her” can improve to help others.
“Since she was little, she wanted to join the Army to have better opportunities for herself and for my parents, to be someone in life, to be someone important,” Lupe Guillen, her sister, told ABC News on Wednesday, fighting back tears. “That’s why she wanted to join, to protect and serve. But yet they failed her.”
Vanessa Guillen, 20, was last seen in a parking lot on the Fort Hood base on April 22, according to the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command. Since her disappearance, her rank was upgraded to specialist from private first class.
Investigators found unidentified human remains on June 30 about 20 miles away from the base that are being analyzed. Natalie Khawam, an attorney for the Guillen family, believes them to be Vanessa’s, but the Army has not independently confirmed that.
A suspect investigators say they’ve connected to Vanessa Guillen’s disappearance died by suicide on Wednesday morning after being confronted by Killeen, Texas, police officers and federal marshals. That suspect was identified by military officials on Thursday as Aaron David Robinson, 20.
An unidentified female suspect, described by authorities as “the estranged wife of a former Fort Hood soldier,” also has been taken into custody.
Khawam told ABC News that CID officials told her the female suspect in custody made a confession, but there wasn’t an arrest warrant issued for the male suspect, “which is really disturbing.”
Robinson’s death by suicide, Khawam added, is “leaving us still with no information,” a big reason why Vanessa Guillen’s family is calling for a Congressional investigation.
The family and Khawam said at a press conference on Wednesday that Robinson was Vanessa Guillen’s superior, and accused him of sexually harassing her.
Military officials have repeatedly said they have found no evidence that Vanessa Guillen was sexually harassed and clarified that Robinson was not her superior, but a coworker.
“She was afraid to report it. She reported it to her friends. She reported it to her family. She even reported to other soldiers on base, but she didn’t want to do a formal report because she was afraid of retaliation and being blackballed, and she, like most victims, just tried to deal with it herself,” Lupe Guillen told ABC News on Wednesday.
Lupe and Mayra Guillen said their sister’s fear of reporting a sex-related crime in the military isn’t uncommon.
Lupe Guillen said she started the “Find Vanessa Guillen” Instagram account after her sister was reported missing. With over 100,000 followers, the hashtag #findvanessaguillen became an outlet for others.
Hundreds of military members have reacted to the account, airing their own grievances in the comment section or in private messages. Like Vanessa Guillen, many said they were afraid to speak up.
The Pentagon’s latest report on sex-related crimes in the military showed a 3% increase in the number of sexual assaults reported in the 2019 fiscal year — 6,236 compared with 6,053 a year earlier.
The report said the military received 1,021 formal sexual harassment complaints, a 10% increase from 2018.
ABC News reported in May that the number of sexual assaults at the three military service academies spiked by 32% over the last year, with 149 reports of sexual assault involving a cadet or midshipman as a victim and/or subject during the 2018-2019 academic year.
In the wake of Vanessa Guillen’s disappearance and claims by her family, the Army launched an investigation into a program at Fort Hood that’s intended to support sexual harassment or sexual assault victims.
The Army has sent a seven-member inspection team to the base at the request of the base’s senior leadership for a week-long investigation into how the program operates, assessing whether the command climate is supportive of soldiers who step forward.
According to the 2018 RAND study, Fort Hood had more sexual assaults than any military installation in the world.
A study from a victims advocacy group Protect Our Defenders, it estimated in 2014 that there were 885 sexual assaults and rapes at Fort Hood and that the rate of sexual assault and rapes for women were the 10th highest among all Army installations. For men, Fort Hood had the eighth-highest rate. The 2014 report contains the only data available that breaks down prevalence rates by installations.
From 2013 to 2016, Fort Hood had the most reported sexual assaults and rapes of any installation in the Army and the second highest in the Department of Defense, according to Protect Our Defenders. Fort Hood has been rocked by a number of scandals, including several prostitution rings, one of which dates back to 2014.
At this time, the Guillen family and Khawam said they want justice not just for Vanessa but for all members of the military.
The family wants to host a large protest outside military bases, including Fort Hood, pass a bill called “I am Vanessa Guillen” to help protect both men and women from sexual harassment, and urge people not to enlist in the military until justice is served.
“Knowing that this could happen to anyone, knowing that there’s more victims out there, would you let your child, your son or daughter, sign a contract with the Army knowing that their life is at risk?” said Lupe Guillen, tears streaming down her cheeks. “My sister deserves to be protected. Your child deserves to be protected. Don’t let them recruit you until we get justice — until Vanessa gets justice.”
