x
Breaking News
More () »

Suspect identified in Vanessa Guillen's disappearance

Authorities say 20-year-old Spc. Aaron David Robinson killed himself as officers moved in to arrest him.

FORT HOOD, Texas — Fort Hood authorities have identified the two suspects in Spc. Vanessa Guillen's disappearance and have also revealed that the woman in custody gave them a detailed confession of the grisly crime.

Authorities identified one suspect as 20-year-old Spc. Aaron David Robinson. They said Robinson killed himself as officers moved in to arrest him late Tuesday night.

Authorities said Robinson was from Calumet City, Ill. and joined the Army in October 2017 as a combat engineer. Robinson was not Guillen's supervisor nor in her chain of command, according to officials.

The other suspect is Cecily Aguilar. She's been charged with one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office Western District of Texas.

Credit: Army
Spc. Aaron David Robinson, Cecily Aguilar - suspects in disappearance of Vanessa Guillen

Authorities said Aguilar was dating Robinson and is the estranged wife of a former soldier.

Aguilar's confession is laid out in an affidavit. It details lays out how she and Aaron Robinson got rid of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen's body.

Grisly details revealed in case

According to the affidavit, Robinson beat Guillen to death with a hammer, put her in a storage case, went home, and came back to base that night to move the body. Aguilar said he took her body to a bridge near the Leon River, where Robinson and Aguilar cut her body up, set it on fire and buried it in three separate places.

When the body didn't burn completely, the couple put the remains in three separate holes and covered them.

When was Guillen last seen?

Guillen, a 20-year-old Houston native, was last seen on April 22 in a parking lot at Fort Hood and she has not been heard from since, according to the Army.

RELATED: Timeline: Family suspected foul play when Vanessa Guillen disappeared in April. Here's why.

RELATED: 1 suspect kills self, 1 civilian in custody in disappearance of Vanessa Guillen, Army says

Family wants answers

What happened to Guillen is no longer in doubt, but what her family still wants to know is why.

At an emotional press conference Wednesday in Washington, D.C., the Guillen family said, while not yet confirmed, they believe the human remains found during a search the day before are those of Guillen's. More remains were found Wednesday in the same area.

“He told his girlfriend that she was going to report him for having an affair," said Natalie Khawam, the Guillen family's attorney. She was speaking on what she said the Army Criminal Investigation Division told her and the family in a meeting this week. “You can’t tell me that someone is bludgeoned to death in the armory room and then all of a sudden nobody heard her screaming – nobody saw the blood all over the room?"

Guillen's sister said Wednesday morning that she had previously met Robinson, and she "could tell" something was not right about him. She said the man laughed in her face as the search for Guillen was still underway.

Khawam said Robinson is the man who allegedly watched Guillen as she showered at the base. Guillen previously reported the sexual harassment to her family, friends and colleagues, her family said.

The family believes the Army is "covering up for each other" after the soldier's disappearance and apparent death.

The investigation

The Army on Thursday said the investigation into Guillen's disappearance has involved more than 300 interviews, 10,000 investigative hours and working with FBI, Killeen Police Department, Belton Police Department, Texas Rangers and U.S. Marshals.

RELATED: Vanessa Guillen's sister: 'My sister deserved respect. My sister deserved to be heard.'

RELATED: UPDATE: More human remains found during search for Vanessa Guillen near Leon River

Send us a news tip | Download our app#HTownRush Newsletter

Before You Leave, Check This Out