Vanessa Guillén: 2024 marks four years after Army specialist's death

FORT CAVAZOS, Texas - Army Spc. Vanessa Guillén was brutally murdered at Fort Hood, now named Fort Cavazos, exactly four years ago today.

Her disappearance and death sparked conversations about sexual misconduct, harassment and assault within the U.S. military.

What happened to Vanessa Guillén?

On April 22, 2020, 20-year-old Army Pfc. Vanessa Guillén was reported missing. She had been last seen in the parking lot of her Regimental Engineer Squadron Headquarters, 3rd Cavalry Regiment.

Guillén's car keys, barracks room key, ID card, and wallet were later found in the armory room where she was working earlier that day. Her sister Mayra said Guillén had texted her boyfriend the morning she disappeared that she was headed to work. 

A month later, the search expanded to cover areas both on and off the base and included multiple agencies such as the Texas Rangers, Bell and Coryell County sheriff's offices, Texas DPS, Texas Game Wardens, the FBI and local area police departments.

On June 30, 2020, partial human remains were found in a shallow grave close to the Leon River in Bell County, which had been an area of interest in the search for Guillén. More remains were found the next day in another shallow grave. 

A few days later, Natalie Khawam, the lawyer for Guillén's family, told FOX 7 Austin the Army had confirmed to the family that the remains belonged to Guillén. 

Using DNA samples, the remains were identified by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, officials said.

Guillén was posthumously promoted to Specialist on July 1, 2020. She was laid to rest in a private ceremony and funeral on August 15, 2020.

Who are the suspects in Vanessa Guillén's death?

According to court paperwork, Guillén was bludgeoned to death on base the day she disappeared by Army Spc. Aaron Robinson.

Cecily Aguilar of Killeen told the FBI that Robinson, who was her boyfriend, told her he had killed Guillén by striking her in the head with a hammer in an arms room, court documents say. He also told her he had taken her body to a remote site in Bell County.

She said she also helped Robinson dismember, burn and hide Guillén's remains. She also altered and destroyed information contained in a Google account belonging to Robinson and made four materially false statements to federal investigators, officials said.

Robinson died by suicide when law enforcement attempted to make contact with him after he had fled the base the day before. 

Robinson had been held in a conference room and watched by other soldiers, but when he learned Guillén's remains had been discovered he left post. "Baby, they found the pieces, they found the pieces," he warned Aguilar in a call. 

Aguilar was arrested and charged with second-degree felony tampering/fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse. Federal authorities also filed a conspiracy to tamper with evidence charge.

In November 2022, Aguilar pled guilty to a charge of accessory after the fact and three counts of making false statements. In August 2023, she got the maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

Investigation into Fort Cavazos

While officials searched for Guillén, her unit commander ordered an investigation into allegations Guillén had been sexually harassed prior to her death. Guillén's family has said she had told friends and fellow soldiers that she had been sexually harassed.

Following Guillén's death and other deaths and suicides connected to Fort Cavazos, an independent review of the command climate was ordered to determine whether it and the surrounding community reflected the Army's values, including safety, respect, inclusiveness, and a commitment to diversity, and workplaces and communities free from sexual harassment. 

The civilian members of the review committee spent several days reviewing historical data, attending background sessions, and finalizing administrative details before its two-week fact-finding mission in Killeen. 

Their review found that base leadership blocked sexual assault reporting, shamed victims, and failed to identify "textbook" examples of grooming and multiple "serial" offenders. It also pointed out structural flaws in the Army's SHARP program.

As a result of the report’s findings, the Army said in December 2020 that 14 officers and enlisted soldiers had been fired or suspended.

The US Army also said that Guillén had informally reported that she had been sexually harassed on two occasions, but that both times, her supervisor failed to report the harassment and other leaders failed to take appropriate action.

The investigation found no credible evidence to conclude that Robinson had sexually harassed Guillen or that they had any relationship outside their work setting, according to the Army.

Guillén's story prompted hundreds of women to share their own experiences with sexual misconduct in the military on social media, using the hashtag #iamvanessaguillen. 

Guillén’s family filed a lawsuit in August 2022 seeking $35 million in damages from the US government on the basis of sexual harassment, abuse, assault, rape, sodomy and wrongful death.

"I Am Vanessa Guillén" Act

The "I Am Vanessa Guillén" Act was introduced on Capitol Hill in 2020. The bill aimed to help military members report instances of sexual abuse or harassment without fear of retaliation along the chain of command.

Under the bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), it would allow for an independent prosecutor to investigate cases of sexual violence.

Sexual harassment and assault would both have been made a crime within the uniform code of military justice if the bill had passed. At the time the bill was filed, cases of sexual harassment were addressed through administrative sanctions.

The bill garnered bipartisan support and sponsors said it would help to reduce a victim's fear in coming forward. The Guillén family also met with former President Donald Trump in 2020 to discuss the bill. 

A resolution filed in the Texas Legislature also urged Congress to pass the act as well.

Provisions of the "I Am Vanessa Guillén" Act were included in the $770 billion National Defense Authorization Act signed by President Joe Biden in Dec. 2021.

Under the new law, the decision to prosecute sexual assault and harassment will be made outside service members’ chain of command and they will be offered protections against retaliation.

The federal legislation also moves prosecution authority for other offenses — including murder, kidnapping, domestic violence, and child abuse — to independent prosecutors. For these cases, it also establishes sentencing to be made by judges as well as sentencing parameters. Previously, sentences could have been recommended by panels of officers who often had no guidance on minimum sentences.

However, lawmakers are continuing to push for more change, wanting sexual harrassment investigations to also be given to independent prosecutors. 

The Sexual Harassment Independent Investigations and Prosecutions (SHIIP) Act was introduced in April 2022 into the U.S. House and Senate to remove sexual harassment from the military chain of command. The bills have stalled in committee.

Honoring Vanessa Guillén

In the wake of her disappearance and death, Guillén was honored with events, memorials, and murals and even a foundation.

Fort Cavazos renamed a gate in Guillén's honor in April 2021 to mark the first anniversary of her death. The gate leads to the 3rd Calvary Regiment area where Guillén served and her family met with army officials in November 2020 to give their thoughts on design plans.

The I am Vanessa Guillén foundation, headed by Vanessa's sister Mayra Guillén, gives a voice to survivors of sexual abuse in the military.

Murals across Austin and her native Houston keep Guillén's legacy alive. Artist Donkeeboy facilitated the painting and creation of 20 murals across the Houston area, including one at Taqueria Del Sol in southeast Houston where Guillén grew up.

The city of Houston has also dedicated the Vanessa Guillén Memorial Highway in South Houston in her honor. 

Streaming giant Netflix is streaming a documentary about her life and her family's efforts to fight for justice and change. The documentary was even nominated for Outstanding Investigative Documentary in the 44th annual News & Documentary Emmys. 

Texas House lawmakers also passed HB 2248, establishing September 30th, Vanessa's birthday, as "Vanessa Guillén Day." 

A US post office at 5302 Galveston Road in Houston has been renamed the Vanessa Guillén Post Office Building. The post office sits a few blocks away from César Chávez High School, where she graduated before enlisting in the Army, says U.S. Rep. Garcia's office.

Houston-based beverage company Exotic Pop partnered with Guillén's family to release an alkaline water bottle in her name in April 2021. The proceeds from the sale of the water went to her family. 

FOX 26 Houston, the Associated Press and the Texas Tribune contributed to this report.