Aguilar and Guillen

Army confirms dismembered remains are missing Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen; surviving suspect appears in court

The Army Criminal Investigation Command has confirmed earlier reports that remains found last week in the search for a missing U.S. Army soldier belonged to Vanessa Guillen, who had not been seen alive since April.

As ABC News reports, Major General Scott Effland announced the findings at a news conference Monday.

“The Armed Forces forensic examiner has determined through DNA analysis that the remains found near the Leon River are in fact those of Vanessa Guillen,” Effland said.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, authorities believe the 20-year-old soldier was killed in the armory room at the Texas base in April. As CrimeOnline previously reported, a lawyer for the Guillen family said on an episode of “Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” that Guillen was bludgeoned to death with a hammer.

Fellow soldier Aaron Robinson, Guillen’s suspected killer, shot himself in the head on July 1 as investigators closed in on him.

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Robinson’s girlfriend Cecily Aguilar was subsequently arrested on suspicion of tampering with evidence. The suspect reportedly confessed to helping her boyfriend dismember Guillen’s remains and hide the body parts near Lake Leon in Belton, Texas.

According to the ABC News report, Aguilar, 22, appeared for a hearing in Waco, Texas, via videoconference on Monday, when a judge formally read the conspiracy to tamper with evidence charges against her. Aguilar has not yet entered a plea, and is due back in court on July 14 for a bail hearing.

Read all of our Vanessa Guillen coverage here.

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[Feature Photo: Cecily Aguilar; Bell County SO/Vanessa Aguilar; Family Handout]