Reward raised to $25K to find missing Fort Hood soldier
(KYMA, KECY, NBC News)-A reward of $25,000 is now being offered for any information leading to the whereabouts of missing Fort Hood soldier Private First Class Vanessa Guillen.
Guillen, 20, was last seen on April 22, in the parking lot of her Regimental Engineer Squadron Headquarters, in Fort Hood, Texas.
According to NBC News, Guillen's car keys, barracks room key, identification card and wallet were later found in the armory room where she had been working earlier in the day. Her cell phone is also missing.
Reports say Guillen expressed to her mother, Gloria Guillen, that she felt unsafe at Fort Hood and said a sergeant had been sexually harassing her. However, Guillen never told her mother the name never reported the incidents to the Army’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program.
Guillen's sister Mayra tells NBC News her sister seemed fine and normal the day before she disappeared.
“Something weird was going there,” Mayra said. “Vanessa was afraid. And now she's gone. But I do know that she wouldn’t have just left on her own without telling anyone. She would have at least told me.”
The Army Criminal Crime Investigation Chief of Public Affairs spokesman Chris Grey announced that the CID has increased the reward for credible information leading to Vanessa’s whereabouts from $15,000 up to $25,000.
Celebrities such as Salma Hayek and Baby Bash have raised awareness on social media to help find Guillen.
Guillen is described as five feet, two inches tall, 126 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. She has the tattoo of a cross with a flower on her left arm, another flower also on the left arm, and a mountain with a circle on her upper left shoulder. She has a small mole between her lower mouth, and her chin. Vanessa was last seen wearing a black t-shirt and purple fitness-type pants.
Anyone with information about Vanessa’s whereabouts is urged to contact Army CID Special Agents at 254-287-2722 or the Military Police Desk at 254-288-1170. They can also anonymously submit information at https://www.cid.army.mil/report-a-crime.html.
