Finding Vanessa

Where’s PFC Vanessa Guillen???

Hello everyone. Usually, my platform is pretty light-hearted. But today, I want to tell you about Private First Class Vanessa Guillen, a young soldier that’s been missing for nearly two months. I hope that, in some small way, my little blog can reach someone that may be able to provide information regarding her whereabouts.

The Facts

• On April 22, 2020 between 11:30 am and 12:30 pm, Vanessa disappeared from Regimental Engineer Squadron’s Parking lot on the Fort Hood military installation in Killeen, TX.
• Vanessa informed her family that she was being sexually harrassed prior to her disappearance.
• Her car keys, the key to her barracks room, her ID, and wallet were found in her unit’s armory where she worked as an arms/artillery repairer.
• Vanessa’s 20 y.o., 5 feet 2 inches tall, 125 lbs, black hair, brown eyes.
• There’s a $50,000 reward for information.

Nothing Happens In A Vaccum

I spent the first four years of my military career at Fort Hood. Like most installations, it is massive. At the time of Vanessa’s disappearance, there would’ve been people everywhere, most likely heading to lunch. I can’t imagine that in the middle of the week, during lunchtime, on a massive military base that no one saw nothing. The military operates by different rules than in the civilian world. Soldiers don’t get time off due to a pandemic. Someone had to see or hear something, even if they don’t realize it, even if it’s gossip.

Battle Buddies???

I’m sure this is true of other military branches, but the Army is a world within itself. In this world, you form close bonds with friends you call “battle buddies”. These people become your family. They help you fight both professional and personal battles. You protect each other, support each other, argue, laugh, and cry together. I’ve been out of the Army for seven years and I’m still really close with my battle buddies. They know about aspects of my life that family members do not know about nor will understand.

There’s no way for me to know if Vanessa has that same support system. I hope she has a battle buddy that she confides in. Perhaps they can give investigators a better understanding as to what was going on in Vanessa’s military life.

Speak Up

As I previously mentioned, nothing happens in a vacuum. Someone knows something. Does her harasser have anything to do with her disappearance? Unfortunately, the military and Fort Hood has a history of protecting those in positions of authority. Those at the top quietly move the offender to another place or another unit. CID and the FBI need to be as transparent as possible during this investigation.

What do the people around her know? I’ve been in small units, I’ve been in large units. But whatever the size, word travels. Those people should help Vanessa and her family by telling the authorities any information they have.

More Information

If you want more information, you want to donate, or if you have any tips you can go to/call one of the following:

Facebook: Find Vanessa Guillen

Twitter: @whereisvanessag

Website: Find Vanessa Guillen

Sign the Petition: change.org

Donate: GoFundMe

To offer information; 832-651-9128; 713-885-7510

Update

According to the family’s attorney, it is believed that they have found the remains of PFC Vanessa Guillen. The suspect in her disappearance committed suicide and a civilian suspect is in police custody. My condolences are with the friends and family of this young soldier.