Posted on 01/11/2008 9:43:08 AM PST by Pyro7480
January 11, 2008)--Authorities in North Carolina said late Friday morning pregnant Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach is dead.
They said she’s buried in a shallow grave, for which investigators are now searching.
They identified the suspect in the case as a Marine officer whom she accused of sexually assaulting her.
Police earlier were planning to interview a man who lived with her and said he would answer questions that "will shed a lot of light on the case."
Authorities said again Friday Marine Sgt. Daniel Durham isn't a suspect, but police believe he's the last person to speak with the Marine.
She disappeared Dec. 14 ahead of her expected testimony in a military investigation into her claim a senior officer had sexually assaulted her.
Court documents show the investigation went sour amid inconsistencies in the woman's story and allegations that she's bipolar and a compulsive liar.
Search warrants show she was facing a possible discharge from the service.
Lauterbach was eight months pregnant when she disappeared.
A witness came forward to tell authorities where Lauterbach’s body was buried, Brown said. Brown wouldn't comment on cause of death.http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,321989,00.html
Camp Lejeune officials said the missing woman, who is assigned to the 2nd Marine Logistics Group of the II Marine Expeditionary Force, joined the Marine Corps in June 2006, trained as a personnel clerk and had not deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,321989,00.html
Darn - there goes the Slimes angle. LOL (Sorry - just had to point that one out.)
I swear someone has video with the drowsing rods.
I had read that too.
Hamming it up for the cameras or protecting an unidentified source?
I recall reading that they used something fashioned from a coat hanger to poke in the ground when they found what felt like a cavity. Being near the coast the ground is rather sandy in general although I am not familiar with the back yard in question. From the photos if I read them correctly there are no trees on the lot.
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/divining+rod
divining rod or dowser, stick used in searching for underground water or minerals. This form of divination is still in common use in many parts of the world. The instrument is typically a forked twig. The operator holds the forked ends of the twig close to his body, with the stem pointing forward. When he walks over a spot under which water or the desired mineral lies, the stem of the divining rod is supposedly pulled down. Impartial research, however, has indicated that successes in this method result mostly from chance and possibly also from a heightened sensitivity to visual cues of which the diviner is unaware.
Same guy I saw.
I don’t know — and I believe you, but I just didn’t see that. I did note on reading thru all the stories on FoxNews that at one point the authorities noticed a “ditch” on the property, and then it was also mentioned as a “fire pit.” And now a “shallow grave.” At first I thought she had been buried in the fire pit. Corn-fusing!
Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown said he used a wire coat hanger as a divining rod to locate the spot where investigators will attempt to locate the remains of Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Frances Lauterbach today.
Also, here is the timeline of events:
Some key dates in the case of missing Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach:
Sept. 13, 2004 – Cesar A. Laurean, of the Las Vegas area, enlists in the U.S. Marine Corps. He is currently wanted in connection with Lauterbach's death.
April 6, 2005 – Laurean joins his current unit, a combat logistics regiment based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
June 6, 2006 – Maria Lauterbach, of Dayton, Ohio, enlists in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Nov. 23 – Lauterbach joins Laurean's unit.
April 2007 – Lauterbach tells military officials she has been raped.
May 12 – Marine commanders assign Lauterbach and Laurean to work in separate buildings.
May 24 – A military protective order is issued against Laurean.
June 25 – The protective order is automatically renewed for the first time.
Sept. 20 – The order is automatically renewed for the second time.
Oct. 22 – Marine commanders submit a request to send the rape case to the military's version of a grand jury.
December – Lauterbach meets with military prosecutors to discuss her rape allegation against Laurean.
Dec. 14 – Lauterbach's mother last speaks with her daughter.
Dec. 19 – Lauterbach's mother reports her missing to police in Ohio. A missing persons investigation begins in Onslow County, N.C.
Dec. 20 – Lauterbach's cell phone is found near the main gate at Camp Lejeune.
Dec. 24 – An unidentified white male attempts to use Lauterbach's ATM card.
Dec. 26 – Lauterbach misses a prenatal care appointment.
January 2007 – The protective order is automatically renewed for the third time.
Jan. 7 – Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown is informed about the case and detectives execute their first search warrant.
Jan. 8 – Police search the laptop computer of Marine Sgt. Daniel Durham, Lauterbach's roommate. Authorities later conclude he is not involved. First news release about Lauterbach being missing is issued.
Jan. 9 – The Marine Corps says it is cooperating with the Onslow County Sheriff's investigation into Lauterbach's disappearance.
Jan. 10 – Civilian authorities request Durham be returned from a training mission in California for questioning.
Jan. 11 – Authorities believe Laurean flees Jacksonville at 4 a.m. They receive Laurean's note from his wife, Christina, at 8 a.m., and announce four hours later they believe Lauterbach is dead. That evening, the local district attorney says burnt human remains had been found in Laurean's backyard.
Jan. 12 – Authorities complete an excavation of a fire pit in Laurean's backyard and issue a murder warrant for his arrest.
She was found in the fire pit. Brown said that after finding her remains the fire pit would now be referred to as a shallow grave. So they are one in the same place. Brown just changed his terminology.
Any sightings or news about Laurean’s wife Christina? One responder to one of the many local news stories said she had now gone missing.
Well. There it is. ;-)
Thanks!! I had not been able to follow this too closely — it’s a little graphic to have on the TV when I have kids in the room.
I agree, cobra. I also think that since they’d already contacted their local law enforcement who, in turn, contacted Onslow County law enforcement, and weren’t going to wait any longer, telling everyone they were coming down that Brown was forced to jump on it. Whether NCIS did anything or not, now Brown’s reputation was at stake-
told them so,
and NCIS suddenly finds itself covering a multitude of sins.
I mean this is infreakinsane that locals had to take over. There is no reason that NCIS should not have questioned this Marine in the disappearance of a witness. There is no telling if Lauterbach even actually dropped the charges. Her family certainly seems to be unaware of that aspect.
I wonder about the wife, and others as well.
As far as the slimes goes, here you are:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1946766/posts
There was no reason why NCIS shouldn’t have done to this suspect what they did to our guys in Iraq, This young Marine had been missing since Dec 19 and no one thought to have the accused interviewed by the NCIS.
In my day if charges of rape were brought against you, you were sent to the Brig for your own protection and interviewed there at the leisure of the command.
He was left to do whatever he wanted to do to silence this young Marine forever.
Jacksonville — The key suspect in the brutal slaying of a 20-year-old pregnant Marine was spotted in Louisiana and could be headed into Texas, authorities said Sunday.
Marine Cpl. Cesar Armando Laurean was seen getting on or off a Greyhound bus in Shreveport, Louisiana, around 10 p.m. Saturday, said Shreveport police Chief Henry Whitehorn Sr. Earlier Sunday, authorities said they might be less than 2 hours behind Laurean.
"We're working with the U.S. Marshal's Service and other law enforcement agencies trying to locate him," Whitehorn told The Associated Press. "We don't know if he is still in the area. We believe it may have just been a pass through. We received information he may be headed into Texas."
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