FORT HOOD, TX — Authorities are continuing to search for a Fort Hood soldier who has been missing for almost one month.
Twenty-year-old Pfc. Vanessa Guillen, assigned to 3rd Cavalry Regiment, was last seen on April 22 at 1p.m. in the parking lot of her Regimental Engineer Squadron Headquarters on Fort Hood.
Her car keys, barracks room key, identification card and wallet were later found in the armory room where she was working earlier in the day. She was last seen wearing a black t-shirt.
Friends and family gathered outside the base's gate Thursday evening to raise awareness about the case.
"I have a feeling that someone know. Someone in that base knows,” said Mayra Guillen, Vanessa's older sister.
A group of supporters that drove from Houston plan to host a peaceful demonstration Friday afternoon to keep Vanessa's photo and disappearance top of mind in Bell County.
“At the end of the day, all she was here for was to represent our country and fight for it to save us,” said Mayra.
The U.S. Army's Criminal Investigation Command (CID) is leading the investigation into her disappearance. Tom Rheinlander, Director of the Fort Hood Public Affairs Office, says the case is open and active, therefore not much information can be released.
Multiple agencies are continuing to search for Pfc. Guillen on and off Fort Hood, including the Texas Rangers, Bell and Coryell County Sheriff Departments, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Game Wardens, the FBI and local area police departments.
Rheinlander said the 3rd Cavalry Regiment had more than 500 soldiers a day searching on foot initially, checking training areas, barracks and across the installation. More targeted searches are ongoing with smaller groups of soldiers.
Aircraft from the 1st Cavalry Division provided more than 100 hours of flight time to the search both on and off the installation.
According to Rheinlander, Pfc. Guillen's unit has made themselves available to the Guillen family. CID agents are keeping the family informed about the investigation.
Fort Hood CID agents continue to conduct interviews and follow up on all credible investigative leads.
Anyone with information, no matter how minor, that could help in the safe return of Pfc. Guillen is asked to call CID agents at 254-495-7767 and share that information with them. There is a $15,000 reward for information leading to her.
A White House petition to find Guillen has also been started. That petition can be found here.
