Found Deceased TX - PFC Vanessa Guillen, 20, Fort Hood military base, items left behind, 22 Apr 2020

[California Sunset]

I do believe they need credit. However, my sister is also AD military, and her close friend is CID there at Ft Hood. He’s under 22. I’m not doubting him, but it’s not all “senior” members. I’m just speaking with my opinion. I know everyone has their way of finding answers. I just know if I were in that horrible situation, I would do anything and everything in my power to help give just one more clue that could give us one more step to finding her.

Someone that wants to hire additional help may change their minds if that 'additional help' screws up.

 

[irridescentmoon]

Someone that wants to hire additional help may change their minds if that 'additional help' screws up.

Yes you’re right. But that’s the risk that I personally, would take to help save my daughter/sister, etc. There’s a risk in everything- including trusting CID and the Army to leave no stone unturned. With my experience with the military, I personally wouldn’t leave my 100% trust in them..sadly.

I’m really hoping for the best in this case. I’m truly not trying to doubt the military. My husband is in the military. Lol I’m grateful for them and the life we’ve lived. My type of personality never fully trusts someone. So I can sympathize with her sister wanting as much help as possible.

 

[Coffiecat]

I did a little Google Maps cruise around the place, and entrances seem pretty secured, but leaving lanes are essentially wide open. I'm sure that a LOT of people commute in and out of the base for jobs.

I also looked at where the 3rd Calv HQ was and it's about 1/4 mile south of HOW and 16th. If her housing is there, it's among several large apartment-type buildings.

3rd Calv HQ bottom left, HOW 16-19 at top, housing units just below across Old Ironsides
Fort Hood Texas - Google My Maps

 

[Fleur-de-lis]

I am glad the Texas Rangers are involved.

Edit: Extra word

 

[ab01]

I am glad the Texas Rangers are involved.

Edit: Extra word

I’m really surprised how many agencies have become involved.
CID and the Army certainly seem to be investigating this as though they know something tragic happened.

I have no idea what that evidence is, but I don’t take the fact that we haven’t been given any as an indication that this case is not progressing.

This case isn’t going cold by a long shot imo

 

[dawnraks]

Is anyone aware of Pvt. Dakota Stump, who went missing November 3, 2016?
They listed him as AWOL, but he was dead on post from a car accident. They said his cellphone pinged on a tower in Indiana. (While he was dead on Ft. Hood.)

'A spokesman for Fort Hood said that the soldier’s unit had conducted an exhaustive search.'
This is from the Army Times:
The Army marked this soldier as a deserter. But he had actually died in a car crash on post.

I don't know if I know how to link the article or is it allowed?
I was trying to get info on the soldiers listed as AWOL now.

The relevancy to this case is the phone pinging elsewhere and the 'exhaustive search'. There was actually some interesting and relevant comments there.

When I was stationed at Ft Hood back in the late 80's, a female soldier walking on the side of road at the base was swept off by flooding waters into a drainage ditch. People driving by witnessed this including my squad leader. Everyone jumped out of their cars to try to help her, but she was gone. They found her body several miles away in a drainage ditch close to the hospital. After that incident, they put up metal bars to prevent a body from entering the drainage pipes, which were quite big. I would hope they still had those metal bars up. Also, while many service members are outstanding people with high morals, you always have those few. I served 11 years in the Army and every base I served at had at least one murder and numerous rapes while I was there. During Reforger one year, I was assigned to guard duty of equipment, two hour shifts on a back road with only one guard at a time. During my 2 to 4 am shift by myself, some scetchy looking servicemember kept driving by slowly practically holding his head out the window to check me out. I called it in that a suspicous driver kept coming by. They sent a patrol out to check on me. Another female on guard duty reported the same incident the next night. During AIT, my room mate was raped walking home from the GI club across the huge PT field at Ft Gordon. He beat her and dragged her into the bushes stuffing her shirt into her mouth to silence her. He only stopped when he seen she was choking on her blood from her nose that he broke and could not breath. My thoughts are someone that likely she new lured her out then abducted her or it was an opportunist rapist/murderer who seen no one was around and she was alone. I would look at people in her company first. They would likely know her personality, if she was naive or likely not one who is going to put up much of a fight. Then check companies next to the armory as well.

 

[Steph8angels]

FYI
Not directly about Vanessa
But article on Ft Hood re: Covid-19
We might cross examine what the base was like at Vanessa MIA( lock down )to now with the info today in article.

Fort Hood to increase operations, Efflandt says

Fort Hood Maj. Gen. Scott L. Efflandt said Fort Hood plans to expand operations around the middle of this month, in a statement posted on the Copperas Cove Economic Development Corp. website.

Here is the statement from Efflandt:

“On behalf of Lieutenant General Pat White and Command Sergeant Major Dan Hendrix, I wanted to reach out and provide a III Corps and Fort Hood update in light of current COVID-19 and the recent announcement from Governor Abbott allowing more Texas businesses to re-open.

FindVanessa

 

[ab01]

When I was stationed at Ft Hood back in the late 80's, a female soldier walking on the side of road at the base was swept off by flooding waters into a drainage ditch. People driving by witnessed this including my squad leader. Everyone jumped out of their cars to try to help her, but she was gone. They found her body several miles away in a drainage ditch close to the hospital. After that incident, they put up metal bars to prevent a body from entering the drainage pipes, which were quite big. I would hope they still had those metal bars up. Also, while many service members are outstanding people with high morals, you always have those few. I served 11 years in the Army and every base I served at had at least one murder and numerous rapes while I was there. During Reforger one year, I was assigned to guard duty of equipment, two hour shifts on a back road with only one guard at a time. During my 2 to 4 am shift by myself, some scetchy looking servicemember kept driving by slowly practically holding his head out the window to check me out. I called it in that a suspicous driver kept coming by. They sent a patrol out to check on me. Another female on guard duty reported the same incident the next night. During AIT, my room mate was raped walking home from the GI club across the huge PT field at Ft Gordon. He beat her and dragged her into the bushes stuffing her shirt into her mouth to silence her. He only stopped when he seen she was choking on her blood from her nose that he broke and could not breath. My thoughts are someone that likely she new lured her out then abducted her or it was an opportunist rapist/murderer who seen no one was around and she was alone. I would look at people in her company first. They would likely know her personality, if she was naive or likely not one who is going to put up much of a fight. Then check companies next to the armory as well.

The problem with that scenario in this situation is that VG went missing in the middle of the day in broad daylight.

I think in this case it almost has to be someone she knew and at-least initially went willingly with.

I just can’t imagine a scenario where there was a struggle in broad daylight in that very public location where she was last seen.

 

[carbuff]

The case that keeps coming to mind for me is Mollie Tibbets, grabbed by a stalker while out running and left in a field.

 

[ab01]

The case that keeps coming to mind for me is Mollie Tibbets, grabbed by a stalker while out running and left in a field.

Yah but that was somewhat out on a country road. The perp actually followed her out of town and then ambushed her.

I’m not sure you’d have that same isolation, atleast not on the area of the base that she was reported to be seen last. And I would assume that even with Covid restrictions in place that lunch time is probably a fairly busy time in those parking areas etc

I guess time will tell

 

[carbuff]

Yah but that was somewhat out on a country road. The perp actually followed her out of town and then ambushed her.

I’m not sure you’d have that same isolation, atleast not on the area of the base that she was reported to be seen last.

I guess time will tell

Yeah, but it doesn't look you'd have to run very far to get away from the buildings? Maybe I'm wrong about that, having never been on the base, but that's what it looks like from the maps.

 

[Boxer]

The problem with that scenario in this situation is that VG went missing in the middle of the day in broad daylight.

I think in this case it almost has to be someone she knew and at-least initially went willingly with.

I just can’t imagine a scenario where there was a struggle in broad daylight in that very public location where she was last seen.

Either knew her or the assailant was an efficient and committed predator. Hitting her hard and puttng her in trunk of car could be done in a sparsely parked overflow parking lot and virtually empty roads.
Timing bothers me.
Getting to work at 9 means a lunch would usually be 4 hours later at 1pm.
If she was seen at 1pm on HOW between 16th and 19th Streets there is no travel time.
It doesn't jive with leaving the armory at 1 for lunch, or returning to the armory at 1pm if the lunch period was 12-1pm.

 

[ab01]

Either knew her or the assailant was an efficient and committed predator. Hitting her hard and puttng her in trunk of car could be done in a sparsely parked overflow parking lot and virtually empty roads.
Timing bothers me.
Getting to work at 9 means a lunch would usually be 4 hours later at 1pm.
If she was seen at 1pm on HOW between 16th and 19th Streets there is no travel time.
It doesn't jive with leaving the armory at 1 for lunch, or returning to the armory at 1pm if the lunch period was 12-1pm.

Im not sure we are being given exact times. I would be surprised if she just happened to be seen at 1pm on the dot
Jmo

 

[Boxer]

Im not sure we are being given exact times. I would be surprised if she just happened to be seen at 1pm on the dot
Jmo

3rd Corps HQ is 2.2 miles from 19th and HOW.
Fit female running time of about 16 minutes for a 2 mile run. It would longer if she walked, and just a few minutes if she drove. I wonder where her car was found.
MOO think they would say 1:15pm if that was when she was seen or video captured.

 

[Nanneke]

I am a female vet who was stationed at Ft. Hood for 5 1/2 years. My stomach always turns a little bit when I see cases of female military members missing. Harassment, assaults, stalking...that stuff seems pretty typical or at least it did to me. Not a lot of those things are reported. I am hoping what happened here isn't nefarious but I don't have a good feeling about it.

I am interested in how quickly her boyfriend and sister became concerned with her absence. With her messages being unread, that wouldn't be something I would necessarily have panicked about immediately unless I had a reason to believe there was some immediate danger. The reason I say that is because Fort Hood is vast and though surely cell service has improved some, a lot of the training areas lacked cell service from my recollection of time in the field. I know my schedule was a bit less defined, but there could have been any number of things that could have occurred throughout a work day that might have made me switch off my phone, or not be able to check messages, or taken me out of a service area. That said, it is probably better that they reacted immediately.

Surely they have considered the old missile storage bunkers? Ft. Hood has a number of those and some empty buildings off of the beaten paths, some which are gated and locked.

I am hoping some additional information is released, although keeping it a bit quiet would probably be better for optics. I remember having to go through multiple channels to get approval before anything could be released to the media (in unrelated instances) I wonder how much that slows the trickle of information.

 

[Mind your biscuits]

This from 2016.
Going Underground; A Look at the Tunnels Under West Fort Hood

 

[CrimeDawg123]

When I was stationed at Ft Hood back in the late 80's, a female soldier walking on the side of road at the base was swept off by flooding waters into a drainage ditch. People driving by witnessed this including my squad leader. Everyone jumped out of their cars to try to help her, but she was gone. They found her body several miles away in a drainage ditch close to the hospital. After that incident, they put up metal bars to prevent a body from entering the drainage pipes, which were quite big. I would hope they still had those metal bars up. Also, while many service members are outstanding people with high morals, you always have those few. I served 11 years in the Army and every base I served at had at least one murder and numerous rapes while I was there. During Reforger one year, I was assigned to guard duty of equipment, two hour shifts on a back road with only one guard at a time. During my 2 to 4 am shift by myself, some scetchy looking servicemember kept driving by slowly practically holding his head out the window to check me out. I called it in that a suspicous driver kept coming by. They sent a patrol out to check on me. Another female on guard duty reported the same incident the next night. During AIT, my room mate was raped walking home from the GI club across the huge PT field at Ft Gordon. He beat her and dragged her into the bushes stuffing her shirt into her mouth to silence her. He only stopped when he seen she was choking on her blood from her nose that he broke and could not breath. My thoughts are someone that likely she new lured her out then abducted her or it was an opportunist rapist/murderer who seen no one was around and she was alone. I would look at people in her company first. They would likely know her personality, if she was naive or likely not one who is going to put up much of a fight. Then check companies next to the armory as well.

I am a female vet who was stationed at Ft. Hood for 5 1/2 years. My stomach always turns a little bit when I see cases of female military members missing. Harassment, assaults, stalking...that stuff seems pretty typical or at least it did to me. Not a lot of those things are reported. I am hoping what happened here isn't nefarious but I don't have a good feeling about it.

I am interested in how quickly her boyfriend and sister became concerned with her absence. With her messages being unread, that wouldn't be something I would necessarily have panicked about immediately unless I had a reason to believe there was some immediate danger. The reason I say that is because Fort Hood is vast and though surely cell service has improved some, a lot of the training areas lacked cell service from my recollection of time in the field. I know my schedule was a bit less defined, but there could have been any number of things that could have occurred throughout a work day that might have made me switch off my phone, or not be able to check messages, or taken me out of a service area. That said, it is probably better that they reacted immediately.

Surely they have considered the old missile storage bunkers? Ft. Hood has a number of those and some empty buildings off of the beaten paths, some which are gated and locked.

I am hoping some additional information is released, although keeping it a bit quiet would probably be better for optics. I remember having to go through multiple channels to get approval before anything could be released to the media (in unrelated instances) I wonder how much that slows the trickle of information.

Thank you both for your insight here.

 

[Nanneke]

Either knew her or the assailant was an efficient and committed predator. Hitting her hard and puttng her in trunk of car could be done in a sparsely parked overflow parking lot and virtually empty roads.
Timing bothers me.
Getting to work at 9 means a lunch would usually be 4 hours later at 1pm.
If she was seen at 1pm on HOW between 16th and 19th Streets there is no travel time.
It doesn't jive with leaving the armory at 1 for lunch, or returning to the armory at 1pm if the lunch period was 12-1pm.

This may or may not be relevant, but there used to be a set time most were released for lunch. I am not sure if the Army still does that and some specific MOS would be excluded from it, but at Hood 10 years ago generally speaking they were released for lunch at 1130 and expected return by 1300. Ex husband says it was hit or miss whether there was afternoon formation after lunch so it must have depended on the specific unit/chain of command whether that was a policy. I am unclear what impact the pandemic has had on this or if this is still general practice. I was a different branch so it was different for us.

 

[crhedBngr]

Following.

May Vanessa be found soon.

 

[California Sunset]

I did a little Google Maps cruise around the place, and entrances seem pretty secured, but leaving lanes are essentially wide open. I'm sure that a LOT of people commute in and out of the base for jobs.

I also looked at where the 3rd Calv HQ was and it's about 1/4 mile south of HOW and 16th. If her housing is there, it's among several large apartment-type buildings.

3rd Calv HQ bottom left, HOW 16-19 at top, housing units just below across Old Ironsides
Fort Hood Texas - Google My Maps

What was the date on the Google Maps you cruised?