Vanessa Guillén was a 20-year-old U.S. Army Specialist who disappeared from base in April 2021. Her car keys, wallet, ID card were found inside the armory where she worked. Shortly before her disappearance, Vanessa had told her family that she was being sexually harassed by a superior, and that other complaints about this same superior were dismissed, leading her family to believe she disappeared under suspicious cirucumstances.
A search for Vanessa lasted more than two months until her remains were found along a nearby river. An investigation uncovered that Vanessa was murdered by Aaron David Robinson, a specialist-ranked soldier who was one of the last people reportedly to see Vanessa. Robinson killed himself shortly before he was arrested. Robinson's estranged wife, Cecily Aguilar later pleaded guilty to one count of murder after the fact and three counts of making false statments. She was sentenced to 30 years.
After her death, her family pushed for another investigation into Vanessa's claims of sexual harassment. An independent review found that Vanessa's complaints were legitimate, that there was a 'permissive environment for sexual assault and harassment at Ft. Hood,' and that there were 'multiple leadership failures' after Vanessa came foward about the accusations. The report said that the leaders of her unit did not take appropriate action to deal with her complaints. As a result, 14 senior officers from corps to squad level were disciplined.
After her death, Vanessa's sister and family lobbied Congress to change how the Department of Defense processes sexual assault and harassment cases. That effort led to the pass of the I Am Vanessa Guillien Act in 2021.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month and Amy spoke to Jordan Bailey, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Victim Advocate on Wake Up Call this morning about Vanessa's story and the changes that came about as a result. Listen to that interview below.
Victims of sexual assault and harassment associated with the DoD can go to Safe Helpline for assistance.