A 20-year-old Fort Hood soldier went missing nearly 2 months ago, after telling her sister she'd been sexually harassed by a fellow soldier

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A 20-year-old Fort Hood soldier went missing nearly 2 months ago, after telling her sister she'd been sexually harassed by a fellow soldier
Vanessa Guillen hasn't been seen by anyone since April 22.Fort Hood
  • Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen was last seen on the Texas Army base on April 22.
  • The Army is offering a $25,000 reward for any credible information that helps officials find Private First Class Guillen, a 20-year-old from Houston, Texas.
  • Officials have launched a nationwide search in hopes of finding Guillen, and actor Salma Hayek, Latino advocacy organizations, and a Texas congresswoman have all voiced support for her family.
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The Army is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the location of Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen, who went missing nearly two months ago, the US Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) said on Monday.

In the nearly two months since 20-year-old Private First Class Guillen was last seen, officials have launched a nationwide search, and actor Salma Hayek, Latino advocacy organizations, and a Texas congresswoman have joined forces to help find her.

According to a press release from Army CID, Guillen was last seen around noon on April 22 on the Fort Hood Army Base in Texas and she was last spotted in a black T-shirt and purple track pants. Guillen apparently left without her car keys, room key, wallet, and ID card, which were all later found in the armory room she'd been working in earlier that day.

Guillen, from Houston, Texas, works in 91F, Small Arms/Artillery Repair as her Military Occupational Specialty.

Investigators, the release said, had no "credible information" to assume that Guillen was sexually assaulted. They also ruled out Guillen's case being in any way connected to the disappearance of PV2 Gregory Wedel-Morales, who went missing in August 2019.

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The Army said last week that it's working with the Texas Rangers, Bell and Coryell County Sheriff Departments, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Game Wardens, the FBI, and local police departments in its search for Guillen.

A $15,000 reward for credible information about Guillen's whereabouts was initially offered by the Army, and on Monday, the Army upped the reward to $25,000.

Guillen's sister, Mayra Guillen, told NBC News' Dateline that her sister had told her that a sergeant had been sexually harassing her at Fort Hood. She said Guillen never identified the person or reported the incidents.

Mayra said that she last spoke to her sister on April 21.

"We last spoke by text the day before she disappeared," Mayra told Dateline. "She was talking about a car she wanted for her birthday, which is in September. Everything was fine and normal. And now, everything is a nightmare."

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Mayra said that Guillen texted her boyfriend the day she disappeared, saying she was going into work.

"Something weird was going on there," Mayra said, referencing her sister's time at Fort Hood. "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."

Guillen is an avid runner who joined the Army right out of high school. Her sister said she had plans to study kinesiology after her stint in the military was done.

Her family launched a Facebook page in hopes of spreading news about her disappearance, and have held demonstrations calling for the Army to release further information.

Immigrant rights organization FIEL and the League of United Latin American Citizens, the oldest Latino civil rights organization in the US, have joined demonstrations, and Rep. Sylvia García, D-Texas, tweeted that she is in direct contact with the Guillen family.

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Hayek posted a message on Instagram about Guillen, saying: "Bring back Vanessa… . We won't stop until you come back."

Anyone with information about Guillen's whereabouts has been asked to contact Army CID Special Agents at (254)287-2722 or the Military Police Desk at (254)288-1170. People with information can also anonymously submit information at https://www.cid.army.mil/report-a-crime.html.

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