A “massive fugitive manhunt” was underway on Monday for the Marine corporal who is the principal suspect in the death of a fellow marine who was eight months pregnant when she died.
Federal authorities posted a reward of $25,000 for information leading to the arrest of Cpl. Cesar A. Laurean, who fled Camp Lejeune as investigators began to focus on him in the disappearance and subsequent death of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach. A burned body believed to be hers was found buried in the back yard of Cpl. Laurean’s house near the base.
Sheriff Ed Brown of Onslow County, N.C., where the base is located, said in a televised news conference on Monday that it appears she was killed on Dec. 15, four days before she was reported missing to civilian authorities. The body is being turned over to the North Carolina medical examiner for positive identification.
Although Corporal Lauterbach filed a charge of rape against Corporal Laurean in April 2007, Marine Corps officials appear to have taken a very relaxed attitude toward the case, with a hearing not scheduled until December. The two continued to work together, Sheriff Brown said, and the top commanders at the base have said they were not aware of the matter.
The case broke open when Corporal Laurean’s wife, Christina, reported finding a note written by her husband saying that Corporal Lauterbach had committed suicide and that he had buried her. Although blood-spatter evidence indicated that Corporal Lauterbach was killed in the Laurean family home, Sheriff Brown said Ms. Laurean was considered “a cooperating witness” rather than a suspect.
No comments:
Post a Comment