Maria Frances Lauterbach, 20yrs NC missing since Dec 19(BODY FOUND)

[klaasend]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,321188,00.html



Disappearance of Pregnant Marine Probed by North Carolina Authorities
Tuesday , January 08, 2008

 JACKSONVILLE, N.C. —

A pregnant Marine based at Camp Lejeune has been missing since before Christmas, and the Onslow County Sheriff's Department is investigating her disappearance.

Authorities say 20-year-old Maria Frances Lauterbach was reported missing Dec. 19 by her mother, who was the last person to speak with her, on Dec. 13. Her cell phone was found Dec. 20 near the main gate at Camp Lejeune.

She is with the 2nd Marine Logistics Group and is about eight months pregnant.

The sheriff's department said Lauterbach's mother reported that her daughter was supposed to testify about an incident she witnessed on base.

"There are several findings and pieces of evidence that have been discovered that cause law enforcement to be concerned with the circumstances surrounding Maria's disappearance," the sheriff's department said in a news release.

The State Bureau of Investigation also is working on the case.

First Lt. Richard Ulsh, a public affairs officer with the 2nd Marine Logistics Gropu, verified that Lauterbach is on active duty. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy investigators are cooperating with the investigation, he said.

[klaasend]

http://www.jdnews.com/news/department_54220___article.html/sheriff_dec.html



Pregnant Marine is missing
BY LINDELL KAY
January 8, 2008 - 2:31PM

Onslow County Sheriff’s Department investigators say they have found the abandoned car of a pregnant Camp Lejeune Marine who has been missing for three weeks.

The blue 2006 Hyundai Sonata belonging to Lance Cpl. Maria Frances Lauterbach was discovered Monday night at the Jacksonville Bus Station, said Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown.

Lauterbach, 20, of Midway Park, is with the 2nd Marine Logistics Group. She last spoke to family Dec. 14 and was reported missing Dec. 19 by her mother who traveled here from Dayton, Ohio.

Lauterbach was eight months pregnant when she went missing, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

“She should be right at delivery time now,” Brown said.

Lauterbach was a witness to an incident on base and was supposed to testify in the matter, according to the Sheriff’s Department, which declined to specify the incident.

The missing woman’s cell phone was found Dec. 20 near the main gate at Camp Lejeune.
Lauterbach shared a boarding house with several people in Midway Park, which was searched by the Sheriff’s Department, Brown said.

“There are several findings and pieces of evidence that have been discovered that cause law enforcement to be concerned with the circumstances surrounding Maria’s disappearance,” Brown said in a news release.

Brown did not reveal any information on the evidence for fear of jeopardizing the investigation.

“Things I know bother me; things I don’t know bother me more,” Brown said.
Lauterbach joined the Marine Corps on June 6, 2006, and has never deployed, said 1st Lt. Richard Ulsh, a public affairs officer with the 2nd MLG. She is currently assigned to the Group Consolidated Administration Center, Service Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, base officials said.
Ulsh said Marine Corps and U.S. Navy investigators are assisting with the Sheriff’s Department’s investigation.

The State Bureau of Investigation is also working on the case, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

Lauterbach is described as 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighing 140 pounds. She has blond hair, blue eyes, a Marine Corps tattoo on the upper right arm and a birthmark in the middle of her back.

Anyone who comes in contact with Lauterbach is asked to contact their local law enforcement agency. For the Onslow County Sheriff’s Department call 910-455-3113; NCIS 910-451-8071; SBI 910-346-2121; Jacksonville Police 910-455-4000, or the local law enforcement where you live.

People with information also can contact Crime Stoppers at 938-3273. Those callers do not have to reveal their identities.

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http://www.witntv.com/home/headlines/13531467.html



Pregnant Marine Remains Missing  
 
Posted: 2:05 PM Jan 8, 2008
Last Updated: 11:49 AM Jan 9, 2008
Reporter: Bill Wilson

Onslow County authorities say they are very concerned about a Camp Lejeune Marine who has been missing since December 19.

The sheriff's office says it was then they were contacted by the mother of Maria Lauterbach that her daughter was missing under very suspicious circumstances. The 20-year-old Marine, who lives at Midway Park, is eight months pregnant.

 
The mother told detectives that her daughter was a witness to an incident that occurred on Camp Lejeune and was supposed to testify in the case. The State Bureau of Investigation and the Navy Criminal Investigative Service have been called in to help with the investigation.

Sheriff Ed Brown said today there was a delay from when the mother first reported her missing and making the public plea because they were unsure if the Marine had been on leave over the Christmas holidays.

The sheriff's department says there are several things the investigation has uncovered that causes law enforcement to be concerned with Lauterbach's disappearance.

Just days ago, they found Lauterbach's car at the Jacksonville bus station and her cell phone.

Deputies say they have searched her house and talked to her roommates. Investigators are not saying much about the father of the missing woman's expected child, but do tell WITN that they have several persons of interest.

Lance Corporal Lauterbach joined the Marine Corps June 6, 2006. She has never been deployed. She currently is assigned to the Group Consolidated Administration Center, which is part of the 2nd Marine Logistics Group.

Lauterbach is originally from Dayton, Ohio. Her family there has set up a page on the web site Facebook in hopes of locating the missing Marine.
 
 

[klaasend]

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/2279410/

Pregnant Marine's Disappearance Worries Authorities
Posted: Today at 6:47 p.m.
Camp Lejeune

A pregnant Marine who disappeared three weeks ago from Camp Lejeune is due to deliver any day, and authorities grow more concerned daily about her safety.

Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach 20, was reported missing by her mother on Dec. 19, five days after the two last spoke, authorities said. Her car was found Monday night at a bus station near base – investigators said it hadn't been there long – and they found her cell phone on N.C. Highway 24.

The Marine Corps Times newspaper has reported suspicious activity has been flagged in Lauterbach's bank accounts since her disappearance.

"The more that we have suspicious things come up, the more concern we have that something is not right with this lady's disappearance," Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown said.

The Onslow County Sheriff's Office is working on the case with the State Bureau of Investigation and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Lauterbach, a member of the 2nd Marine Logistics Group, joined the Marines in June 2006 but hasn't been deployed. She was 8½ months pregnant when she was last seen and could already be past her due date.

"It does become more of a concern for endurance when you're dealing with a lady who is near delivery with child," Brown said.

Investigators declined to discuss a possible "significant other" or the father of Lauterbach's baby.

She lived in the Midway Park housing area, which isn't on base but is reserved for Marines. Deputies have searched the home and questioned some roommates.

Investigators are still waiting to talk with at least one male roommate who might be deployed, Brown said, adding the man could be considered a person of interest.

"Until you can interview him and eliminate him, you still consider them as key people of concern," he said.

Lauterbach also was scheduled to testify in a criminal case after being the victim of an on-base crime, he said, declining to elaborate.

"The longer it goes, the more stressful it gets that something may have happened to this lady against her will," he said.

Lauterbach's mother came to Onslow County last weekend from the family's home in Montgomery, Ohio, to provide whatever assistance she could in the investigation. Friends and relatives also set up a Facebook.com page to help find the missing Marine, who they said would never go anywhere without letting someone know.

"We're going to turn over every stone trying to locate her," Brown said.

[Nut44x4]

There was an interesting caller from OK via phone on Nancy Grace last night and she was fuming mad. Here is what she said>>>

Out to the lines. Stephanie in Oklahoma. Hi, Stephanie.

STEPHANIE, FROM OKLAHOMA: Yes, I`ve got three things for you.

GRACE: OK.

STEPHANIE: I`m retired military. Number one, you never just not show up for work. If you don`t show up for work, your immediate supervisor immediately dispatches somebody to your quarters to find out where you are. At that point you are U.A., unauthorized absence. And number three, if they think you`ve ran, the first place they call are local friends, next of kin, and family they know you`re close to to see if that`s where you`re at.

GRACE: Stephanie, having been former military, how do you explain -- I used to have a judge that would tell the jury it is your duty to make all witnesses speak the truth and impugn perjury to no one. Maybe there is a way that I don`t understand, being non-military, that this could have been acceptable. How could she have gone five days? Let`s just pretend two of those days were weekend.

STEPHANIE: There`s no way. They stay on top of pregnant women especially because they are in a delicate condition. The military`s absolutely responsible for your health care and you`re well-being. You are contractually obligated to them. They essentially own you. If you get broken, they have to replace that manpower. Financially, they want to keep you fixed up and in good shape, and they want to keep you in your job doing your thing so they don`t have to, you know, shuffle people around to make up for the lost manpower.

So any supervisor that lets a person just disappear, that doesn`t happen. The chain of command would get involved immediately. Phone calls would be made. And if a supervisor let somebody just disappear for five days without doing anything, that person would end up in big trouble.

GRACE: So are you saying, Stephanie, you doubt this timeline or do you.

STEPHANIE: Doubt it? I raise the B.S. flag and wave it around enthusiastically from my roof.

GRACE: I agree. Something`s not right with the facts that we are getting. Now, do you think it`s possible she called in to work and we`re missing that piece of the puzzle and said, "Hey, I`m sick, I`m not going to show up for a couple of days?" Maybe that could explain the five days?

STEPHANIE: That doesn`t happen. She has to go to the doctor and get what`s called an S.I.Q. chit, sick in quarters. And that means they give her permission to be in her room and nowhere else for up to 72 hours.

GRACE: Now, she didn`t live on base, though, Stephanie.

STEPHANIE: It doesn`t matter.

GRACE: Doesn`t matter.

STEPHANIE: She still has to get the chit. She still has to do the paperwork. There`s always a paper trail. If the mom wants to find out, she needs to start requesting copies of that paper trail now. She needs to get a lawyer that is familiar with the military work because it looks to me like something stinks in Denmark. They are covering this up.

GRACE: Something is very wrong. And what jumped out at me, Stephanie in Oklahoma, is this timeline where you`ve got five days missing.

STEPHANIE: Five days.

GRACE: Now some places that may be acceptable, but not in the military. They don`t work like that.

STEPHANIE: No. You get -- you get thrown in the brig for missing one day. OK? If you just don`t show up for work one day and you don`t have, like, an excuse like your car blew up with you in it, you`re going down. You get into trouble.

GRACE: Does this suggest to you, Stephanie, that another military person could be involved? I mean, we know she`s not missing voluntarily because her cell phone was found thrown away.

STEPHANIE: Violence against women is very common in the military, and the fact that she was a witness to a crime and she was about to testify, those are two things that I`d be looking at very closely because often -- I`m a veteran with M.S.T., and I`m involved with these other veterans with military sexual trauma, you know what? Chain of command sometimes collude to cover this stuff up.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0801/09/ng.01.html

[Marlee]

Kudos to Stephanie for calling in and getting this information out there. This is great info that civilians would not necessarily know. I hope the family gets a lawyer that is familiar with the military and follows up on this.

Prayers for Maria, her baby, and her family.

[klaasend]

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/2282672/

Stepmother: Missing Marine Assaulted by Officer
Posted: Today at 11:49 a.m.
Updated: 28 minutes ago

A pregnant Marine who disappeared three weeks ago from Camp Lejeune was assaulted by a superior officer, her stepmother told investigators.

Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach 20, was reported missing on Dec. 19, authorities said. Her car was found Monday night at a bus station near base – investigators said it hadn't been there long – and they found her cell phone on N.C. Highway 24.

Authorities have been trying to determine if she disappeared on her own or was abducted.

According to documentation attached to a search warrant in the case, Lauterbach's stepmother told investigators that Lauterbach had been assaulted by a superior officer. Mary Lauterbach also told investigators that the officer threatened her stepdaughter's career with the Marines.

Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown said previously that Lauterbach had been the victim of an on-base crime and was scheduled to testify in the case, but he declined to provide details of the case.

Lauterbach, a member of the 2nd Marine Logistics Group, was 8½ months pregnant when she was last seen and could already be past her due date, authorities said.

Mary Lauterbach said her stepdaughter has a history of bipolar disorder and said they had a heated exchange the last time they spoke on the phone on Dec. 14, according to the search warrant.

She lived in the Midway Park housing area, which isn't on Camp Lejeune but is reserved for Marines. Deputies have searched the home and questioned some roommates. Investigators were still waiting to talk with at least one male roommate who might be deployed, Brown said.

Authorities also have searcher Lauterbach's cell phone records, some financial transactions through Western Union and a computer belonging to one of her roommates, according to court documents.

In a somewhat cryptic statement released Thursday morning, the sheriff said an intensive investigation by his department, the State Bureau of Investigation and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service has developed "a more detailed picture" of Lauterbach and her disappearance.

"At this time, I am not completely 100 percent resolved to which way this investigation may go," Brown said in the statement. "I do believe the answer is near."

Brown has scheduled a 2 p.m. news conference to discuss the case. Watch it LIVE on WRAL.com.

[klaasend]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,321846,00.html

Documents: Missing Marine Claimed Officer Raped Her, Family Says History of Lying
Thursday , January 10, 2008

A pregnant Marine who vanished last month before she was to testify in a military probe claimed "a senior officer ... had raped her and that the investigation had gone sour," according to new court documents.

The woman made the allegation to her stepmother, who also told investigators looking for the 20-year-old lance corporal that her stepdaughter was bipolar and had a history of compulsive lying, the documents filed this week state.

Military officials said Thursday they had ordered the missing Marine's roommate, Sgt. Daniel Durham, to return from training in California to answer questions about the case.

Durham is believed to be the last person to speak with the lance corporal. He was to return to Camp Lejeune as soon as possible, Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown said.

Brown did not describe Durham as a suspect, adding that the case remained a missing persons investigation.

"We do feel like he has answers and importance in being back here," Brown said.

According to search warrant affidavits filed this week, the stepmother has told investigators that her stepdaughter "claimed she had been raped by a senior officer at her command, and that the investigation had gone sour."

The Associated Press had identified the missing Marine before the allegations of sexual assault became public. The AP generally does not identify people who allege they are victims of sexual assault.

Brown declined to comment on the rape allegations detailed in the search warrant, as did officials at Camp Lejeune.

[Nut44x4]

Seems it is not the first claim of rape there.
2005
http://www.dnalabsinternational.com/email_newsletter/vol_17_may_06/vol17_ref16.html

[Nut44x4]

The News & ******* (Raleigh, North Carolina)
 
January 11, 2008 Friday
 
Missing Marine claimed rape;
Her stepmother says in court papers the pregnant woman had a history that made finding truth hard
 

JACKSONVILLE -- A pregnant Marine who has been missing for three weeks told her stepmother that a superior officer had raped her and threatened her military career because of the allegations, according to court documents.

But affidavits and investigative reports in Onslow County also include skepticism about the allegations of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, 20, of Montgomery, Ohio.

Lauterbach's stepmother said Maria Lauterbach was eight months pregnant and suffers from bipolar disorder. She has "a history of being a compulsive liar and it was difficult at times to know what was true in her case," Mary S. Lauterbach of Vandalia, Ohio, told Onslow County Sheriff's Office investigators.

Mary Lauterbach also told them she "had a firm conversation" with her stepdaughter, telling her that she would have to give up her baby after it was born because she felt the younger woman could not care for it.

It was the Marine's stepmother who reported her missing last month. Lauterbach's family reported that Maria Lauterbach usually called several times a week, but hasn't been heard from since Dec. 14, according to the warrant.

The report said Maria Lauterbach "claimed that she had been raped by a senior officer at her command and that the investigation had gone sour."

An Onslow investigator contacted the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the report said, and was told "an open case as to the sexual assault was active at Camp Lejeune, however, it was difficult due to inconsistencies provided by Maria Lauterbach."

The military did confirm that "Ms. Lauterbach was facing a possible discharge from the Marine Corps," the report stated.

A spokesman for Camp Lejeune was not available for comment Thursday.

Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown said Thursday at a news conference that the investigation is still a missing persons case. He said he would not discuss the rape allegations or speculate about Lauterbach's disappearance.

"I'm not going to say anything about that," he said. "That's military related."

The sheriff said he did not know who was the father of Lauterbach's unborn child.

Brown said Maria Lauterbach's roommate, a Marine sergeant who has been temporarily assigned to a California base for training, is being returned to North Carolina for more questioning because he may have been the last person to talk with Lauterbach before she disappeared.

Daniel Durham was interviewed by the sheriff's investigator when she was first reported missing in December. Durham said then that they had only been roommates for a short period of time. He had "made his home available" to Lauterbach because he was sympathetic to her situation, the report states.

He told investigators she had been upset with her stepmother, and that he thought she just decided to go somewhere because some of her clothes and cosmetics also were missing.

Court documents also indicate that investigators are seeking to search the records of the Western Union Co. for information about transfers of money to Lauterbach from Dec. 10 through this past Wednesday. Onslow County Deputy John Dubois said in affidavit that Lauterbach "might be receiving financial support via the electronic transfer of funds."

Lauterbach, who joined the Marine Corps in June 2006, trained as a personnel clerk. She lived in the Midway Park housing area, which is not part of Camp Lejeune. Investigators said her cell phone was found near the housing area and her abandoned car was found Monday night at a Jacksonville bus station. 
 
Lauterbach disappeared in December.

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:727025347&start=2

[klaasend]

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/2287295/

Sheriff: Missing Marine Bought 1-Way Bus Ticket, Never Used it
Posted: Today at 8:46 a.m.
Updated: 2 minutes ago

Camp Lejeune &mdashOnslow County Sheriff Ed Brown said Friday that a missing, pregnant Marine bought a one-way bus ticket to El Paso, Texas on Dec. 14, but she never used it.

Brown said he plans to hold a press conference at noon today to announce a “major update” about the woman, who was reported missing on Dec. 19. Authorities said they have received more information from the missing woman's roommate.

Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach 20, was reported missing in December, and her car was found Monday night at a bus station near base. Investigators found her cell phone along N.C. Highway 24.

"[Her roommate] is going to answer some questions that I think will shed a lot of light on this case," Brown said.

The roommate, Marine Sgt. Daniel Durham, isn't a suspect in the case. But authorities believe Durham to be the last person to speak with the missing woman, who is due to give birth in mid-February, and he may have been monitoring the case while on a training mission in California.

When asked whether he believed the case would be resolved Friday, Brown said: "I wouldn't step over that line. I am still in the middle of the road, but leaning toward the positive." He has that stressed that the case remains a missing-person investigation.

A white man used Lauterbach's debit card was used on Christmas Eve to withdraw money from an automated teller machine, according to an affidavit attached to a search warrant in the case. The man tried to cover the ATM camera with a rag, the affidavit said.

Court documents did not disclose the location of the ATM, and Brown declined Thurdsday to identify the location.

Authorities have been trying to determine if Lauterbach disappeared on her own or was abducted.

"You investigate a missing person just as you investigate a criminal case, and that is full speed ahead," Brown said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.

An intensive investigation by the Onslow County Sheriff's Office, the State Bureau of Investigation and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service over the past day has developed "a more detailed picture" of Lauterbach and her disappearance, Brown said, adding that he feels better about the case than he did earlier in the week.

According to an incident report attached to the search warrant, Lauterbach's stepmother told investigators that Lauterbach had been assaulted by a superior officer. Mary Lauterbach also told investigators that the officer threatened her stepdaughter's career with the Marines.

Brown said previously that Lauterbach had been the victim of an on-base crime and was scheduled to testify in the case, but he has declined to provide details of the case, saying it's being investigated by the military.

Camp Lejeune officials also declined to comment on the alleged on-base incident. They declined to say whether Maria Lauterbach is considered absent without leave.

NCIS investigators cited evidence that called into question Maria Lauterbach's credibility, according to the incident report.

Lauterbach, a member of the 2nd Marine Logistics Group, was 8½ months pregnant when she was last seen and could already be past her due date, authorities said.

Mary Lauterbach said she had a heated exchange with her stepdaughter the last time they spoke on the phone on Dec. 14, according to the search warrant. Mary Lauterbach wanted her stepdaughter to give the baby up for adoption, saying she wouldn't be able to care for it, the documents stated.

"I just want to see her again. I hope to see her, and I hope the baby is healthy. I am very concerned for both of them," Mary Lauterbach said from her Ohio home.

If Maria Lauterbach fled because of her pregnancy, Brown said she needed to come forward and get help from her family and friends.

"You can't run from those things in life," he said. "Regardless of the circumstances, this has got to stop."

Maria Lauterbach lives in the Midway Park housing area, which isn't on Camp Lejeune but is reserved for Marines. Deputies have searched the home and questioned some roommates.

Authorities also are searching Lauterbach's cell phone records, some financial transactions through Western Union and Durham's computer for possible evidence in the case, according to court documents.

Reporter: Mike Charbonneau
Web Editor: Kelly Hinchcliffe

[klaasend]

BREAKING NEWS - SHE IS DEAD - LOOKING FOR BODY

Have not confirmed murder at this time, conflicting info -

Durham not a suspect at this time.

Man accused of raping her is a suspect.

[klaasend]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,321989,00.html

Sheriff: Missing Pregnant Marine Is Dead, Corporal She Accused of Raping Her Named Suspect
Friday , January 11, 2008

 JACKSONVILLE, N.C. —

A missing 20-year-old Marine due to give birth any day is dead and authorities are trying to locate a corporal she had accused of raping her, a North Carolina sheriff said Friday.

The body of Maria Lauterbach, who vanished nearly a month ago before she was to testify in a military probe, is believed to be located in a shallow grave in coastal Onslow County, said Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown at a press conference.

Lauterbach alleged that she was sexually assaulted by a senior officer but that the investigation had gone sour, according to court documents. Authorities do not know where the suspect — Cpl. Cesar Armando Lauren, 21, is located.

"They don't know where he is," Brown said. "He's gone

[tealady]

BREAKING NEWS - SHE IS DEAD - LOOKING FOR BODY

Have not confirmed murder at this time, conflicting info -

Durham not a suspect at this time.

Man accused of raping her is a suspect.

I am so sorry to read this. I've got on CNN right now and they are searching for her body in a "residential area". Say she is buried in a shallow grave.

My nephew is a Marine MP on the same base as this young mother to be ...  . I'm sure he knew her or at the very least knew who she was.

The outcome was expected but it's still very sad to read this. And she was due any day ... so sad for the unborn child and mother - murdered! 

[A's Fever]

I don't understand how the police have such detailed info on her death and the location of her body without a suspect in custody, unless the implication is there was an accomplice.  Her friend Durham isn't being accused of anything, but is it possible he had this information?  It doesn't add up yet.

[reRooster]

Apparently one source reports they've located the body.

"...Updated, Friday, 12:25 p.m. Eastern Sheriff Ed Brown of Onslow County, North Carolina, announced at a news conference just now that Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach was dead, with her body found buried. He also named a superior officer as a suspect in the investigation."

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/tale-of-the-missing-marine-whos-also-pregnant/?hp

[tealady]

CNN has helicopters in the air, following 4-wheelers searching live. They have made no announcement of finding her body yet, but they seem to have confidence in where they are searching.

CNN is also reporting that she is believed to have been murdered.

Re: how they know Maria is dead:

"The sheriff says they determined that the woman is dead based on information provided by a former Marine who works at the base."

This statement came from the previous post that had a link stating that the body had been found.

If they have not found her yet, I hope they find her soon. 

[tealady]

Apparently one source reports they've located the body.

"...Updated, Friday, 12:25 p.m. Eastern Sheriff Ed Brown of Onslow County, North Carolina, announced at a news conference just now that Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach was dead, with her body found buried. He also named a superior officer as a suspect in the investigation."

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/tale-of-the-missing-marine-whos-also-pregnant/?hp

Rooster, I wonder if the word I've made bold was a typo and not meant to be there? CNN just stated they have not found her body yet and they are still following 4 wheelers searching live.

Conflicting reports as with many breaking news stories.

No, I stand corrected. I'm reading the header on that web page and it states: "Pregnant marine is found dead". It's not a typo. Wonder why those 4 wheeler's are still searching so diligently -  maybe they are searching for evidence, if in fact her body has been located?

[SunnyinTX]

This is from CNN's web site


pdated 2:59 p.m. EST, Fri January 11, 2008
BREAKING NEWS
Hunt on for grave of dead Marine, sheriff says
updated 24 minutes ago
Hunt on for grave of dead Marine, sheriff says
The pregnant Marine missing from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, is dead, and police are trying to find her grave, Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown said today. Brown said Cpl. Cesar Armando Lauren, whom Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach had accused of raping her, is suspected in her death. developing story

So who is the female that gave them the information that she is dead and buried? How did she know? What, if any, part did she play in this murder? How long has she had this information?  So many questions??

[A's Fever]

Not ready to call this murder?  Here is a strange quote from the CNN article:

"Authorities were "searching the area for the grave that could be in and around the place where she was murdered," Brown said. He quickly said he wasn't ready to call her death murder.

"I am not calling it murder because the story has got some twists and turns," he said."

Are they suggesting suicide?  Or is this another Natalee-type thing where this poor girl buried herself?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/01/11/missing.marine/index.html