Murder of Maria Lauterbach

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Maria Frances Lauterbach[1]
1987 – 2007

Place of birth Dayton, Ohio[2]
Place of death Jacksonville, North Carolina
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Marine Corps[1]
Rank Lance Corporal[3]
Unit 2nd Marine Logistics Group,
II Marine Expeditionary Force,
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, NC[2]

Lance Corporal Maria Frances Lauterbach[1] (1987 – December 2007) of Vandalia, Ohio[3], was a United States Marine who went missing from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina on 14 December 2007.[4] At the time of her disappearance, Lauterbach was eight months pregnant.[5]

[edit] Background and death

Lauterbach was preparing to testify that she was raped by a fellow Marine. Her adoptive mother, Mary Lauterbach, told police that she "claimed she had been raped by a senior Marine at her command, and that the investigation had gone sour." According to an Associated Press report, her adoptive mother also told police "that her daughter was bipolar and had a history of compulsive lying."[6]Tony Harris of CNN reported on January 12, 2008, that Lauterbach never felt that her adoptive parents treated her as well as their natural children. Her adoptive mother reported her missing on 19 December, 5 days after the last of their phone conversations which purportedly occurred an average of 12 times per week.[7] Her cellphone was found on 20 December near the main gate at Camp Lejeune.[1]

The burned remains of Maria Lauterbach and her unborn child were found in a fire pit in Corporal Cesar Armando Laurean's backyard. They also found a lot of her blood in Laurean's house in Jacksonville, N.C. Laurean has been reported as having tried to clean up the scene.[8]

During a press conference on January 11, 2008, Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown reported the death of Lauterbach. Brown stated that authorities "had gotten physical evidence of the woman's death that also linked Laurean to the death."[9] Laurean claims in a note found by his wife that Maria Lauterbach committed suicide by cutting her own throat during an argument at the Laurean home. However, authorities found evidence that points to murder in the initial investigation. This is further supported by the autopsy results released in March 2008, which classified the neck wound as post-mortem and insufficient to causing death. The official cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.[10]

[edit] Cesar Laurean

Cesar Armando Laurean
Cesar Armando Laurean

Laurean, the prime suspect in the case, is the man whom Lauterbach accused of sexually assaulting her.[11] A federal warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution was issued for his arrest on January 12, 2008.[12] The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service issued a wanted flier on him. There was also a $25,000 reward offered by the FBI and $5,000 from the state of North Carolina for information leading to his capture.[12][13] Onslow County has primary jurisdiction, but the Judge Advocate General's office may bring charges as well, to include but not limited to charges stemming from Laurean's deserter status.[13]

Shortly after the murder, the press reported that Laurean fled to Mexico, his country of birth.[14] Mexican officials issued an arrest warrant for Laurean as a suspect of killing his pregnant colleague, a U.S. Embassy official said on January 29, in Mexico City. Interpol also issued an international wanted notice for Laurean.[15] A cousin of the Corporal informed reporters that the Marine visited family in the area of Guadalajara, Mexico in late January 2008, but left without saying where he was headed.[16] America's Most Wanted featured this story on their April 5, 2008 episode.

On 10 April, 2008, the FBI announced that Cesar Laurean had been apprehended in Tacambaro, Michoacan (Mexico). He is currently awaiting extradition.[17] The popular press indicated that his extradition might involve at least two years of legal proceedings, considering the relationship between the United States and Mexico.

As this is a United States Marine on a United States Marine crime, the United States Navy, via the Judge Advocate General's office can immediately exert juristication, pre-empting whatever Onslow County wants to do. Once Cpl. Laurean is back into the custody of the Marine Corps, it will likely become a federal case; he will not be subjected to the death penalty, per the US-Mexico extradition treaty.[17]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d FOXNews.com - Investigators Seeking Missing Pregnant Marine's Male Roommate - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News
  2. ^ a b Sheriff: Missing pregnant Marine is dead from WKYC-TV, Cleveland, Ohio
  3. ^ a b Sheriff: Missing Vandalia Marine Dead from WHIO-TV, Dayton, Ohio
  4. ^ Missing Marine story feed from CNN
  5. ^ http://www.examiner.com/a-1147969~Pregnant_Marine_Missing_From_N_C__Base.html
  6. ^ Missing, pregnant Marine alleged rape - Military - MSNBC.com
  7. ^ Marine’s Body Reportedly Found - New York Times
  8. ^ FOXNews.com - N.C. Investigators Issue Warrant in 'Disgusting' Murder of Pregnant Marine - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News
  9. ^ Blood, possible grave of pregnant Marine found at suspect's house - CNN.com
  10. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/03/14/missing.marine/ CNN Article - Autopsy
  11. ^ Arrest warrant issued in case of dead Marine - Crime & courts - MSNBC.com
  12. ^ a b http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/alert/laurean_ca.htm FBI wanted poster
  13. ^ a b http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/03/ap_laurean_award_030308/ Marine Corps Times
  14. ^ http://www.abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=4174363&page=1 Laurean in Mexico
  15. ^ http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/2373858/ WRAL-TV, retrieved January 31, 2008
  16. ^ Mexico issues warrant for Laurean a week after sighting - CNN.com
  17. ^ a b http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24057875 Suspect in pregnant Marine's death nabbed, retrieved April 11, 2008