The Maria Lauterbach case.

[ChthonicSpirit]

I figured this might be of interest to the board. Fair warning, fairly nasty story.

Some articles on it can be found below, and a lot more are available via a quick googling.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jLAxQfkotgyOSgs3LXmXYW6hy6PgD8U4I73O0

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

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/01/11/missing.marine/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jLAxQfkotgyOSgs3LXmXYW6hy6PgD8U3QGAG0

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20080112-1531-missingmarine-timeline.html

Let me summarize the important events:

In April, 2007, Maria Lauterbach, a marine corporal, accused a fellow marine of raping her.

On December 14, 2007, Lauterbach apparently disappeared. She was eight months pregnant at the time and was about to testify in her rape case. The father of the infant was unknown, but it was believed that the birth of the child would 'provide evidence' to the investigation.

December 19th, Her stepmother reports her missing.

Last Friday, her body was found in a shallow grave in the back yard of Corporal Cesar Laurean, who has since been identified as the man Lauterbach was about to testify against. His current whereabouts are unknown.


Now, let me point out the places where this sounds wrong, to me. One, She was a marine. Marines, or anybody else in the military, lead regimented lives. Everybody eats in the same place, works at the same time, meets the same people every day. If you don't show up, somebody knows about it, immediately. Why was she only reported missing five days after she disappeared, by her stepmother?

Secondly, if the case against Cpl. Laurean was going to the level of a court martial, there was some kind of merit to it. Why was he not arrested, after she reported the rape? Why, also, was he not the first point of call when she disappeared? They will only say that he was not considered a flight risk. I guess they were wrong about that, given that he has disappeared.

Oh, and, just incidentally, fellow soldiers were reportedly harrassing her for making allegations against this guy. Not that that has any bearing on the investigation, of course. And some of the paperwork recovered by the police suggests she was facing discharge from the marine corps, with no reason given.

Draw your own conclusions.

[Solaris]

I figured this might be of interest to the board. Fair warning, fairly nasty story.

Some articles on it can be found below, and a lot more are available via a quick googling.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jLAxQfkotgyOSgs3LXmXYW6hy6PgD8U4I73O0

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

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/01/11/missing.marine/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jLAxQfkotgyOSgs3LXmXYW6hy6PgD8U3QGAG0

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20080112-1531-missingmarine-timeline.html

Let me summarize the important events:

In April, 2007, Maria Lauterbach, a marine corporal, accused a fellow marine of raping her.

On December 14, 2007, Lauterbach apparently disappeared. She was eight months pregnant at the time and was about to testify in her rape case. The father of the infant was unknown, but it was believed that the birth of the child would 'provide evidence' to the investigation.

December 19th, Her stepmother reports her missing.

Last Friday, her body was found in a shallow grave in the back yard of Corporal Cesar Laurean, who has since been identified as the man Lauterbach was about to testify against. His current whereabouts are unknown.


Now, let me point out the places where this sounds wrong, to me. One, She was a marine. Marines, or anybody else in the military, lead regimented lives. Everybody eats in the same place, works at the same time, meets the same people every day. If you don't show up, somebody knows about it, immediately. Why was she only reported missing five days after she disappeared, by her stepmother?


She had rented room in a home off-base, because of the abuse she'd received from other marines since filing the charges.

At least two of the articles said that her roomate didn't report her missing because some of her personal items were gone, so roomate thought she had left for some reason.


Secondly, if the case against Cpl. Laurean was going to the level of a court martial, there was some kind of merit to it. Why was he not arrested, after she reported the rape? Why, also, was he not the first point of call when she disappeared? They will only say that he was not considered a flight risk. I guess they were wrong about that, given that he has disappeared.

Again, in one article it said that he wasn't arrested because some accounts stated that the two had a friendly relationship, or some kind of contact, after the charges were filed. Also, one article mentioned that, during the initial investigation after the charges were filed, the girl's stepmother said that she was bi-polar and had a habit of compulsive lying.


Oh, and, just incidentally, fellow soldiers were reportedly harrassing her for making allegations against this guy. Not that that has any bearing on the investigation, of course. And some of the paperwork recovered by the police suggests she was facing discharge from the marine corps, with no reason given.

Draw your own conclusions.

I missed the part about her facing discharge... though it might have been because she was eight months pregnant, and due to deliver in February.

As for the harassment, one article mentioned her car being keyed, and some anonymous marine punching her in the face. That's some serious "harassment," IMO.

I'm not sure what to think, other than it does look like she was murdered, based on the blood in the guys house someone tried to clean up and paint over, and that they said she died of an injury. If she *was* a compulsive liar, that could've slowed down the investigation's need to arrest the alleged rapist, right or wrong.

It's tragic that this girl and her baby were murdered. Beyond that, the picture isn't clear enough to say that there was some attempted coverup.

[Crowley]

Well it's certainly a big black mark on the Marine Corps.

Hopefully the guy will be found and thrown in jail, and hopefully all the people who mishandled this will be shown the door.

[Solaris]

Crowley, read the articles. Yes, I too was incensed when I read this first post... but after reading the articles she linked, I'm not sure what to think---other than that I need more information, before I will say that the marine hierarchy on base failed her, or went beyond that into coverup. There's just too many conflicting bits of information out on it right now, but not enough to show which ones are true, or false, or how they fit together.

[ChthonicSpirit]

At least two of the articles said that her roomate didn't report her missing because some of her personal items were gone, so roomate thought she had left for some reason.

Yeah, I noticed that. I think it is a pretty flimsy explanation, but I'll accept it for the moment. With her roommate thus taken care of, what about the rest of the people she would have had daily contact with? Did they all think the same thing?


Again, in one article it said that he wasn't arrested because some accounts stated that the two had a friendly relationship, or some kind of contact, after the charges were filed.

Not very friendly, if she was still going to testify against him in court.


Also, one article mentioned that, during the initial investigation after the charges were filed, the girl's stepmother said that she was bi-polar and had a habit of compulsive lying.

Point. But again, despite said problems, there was enough merit in the case for it to go before a court. According to the discriptions of the investigative system I've read, that would mean that the MP's, the military policemen who investigated it, thought it was real. They would have handed it off to their bosses (I forget what the name of the division is) and if they thought it was real, they would send it before a military court. And that was the stage that it had reached, meaning that everyone who has investigated her accusations until now has thought they had merit.


I missed the part about her facing discharge... though it might have been because she was eight months pregnant, and due to deliver in February.

Pretty sure that would have been a medical discharge, then. Apparently, no reason was given for why her discharge was being contemplated.


As for the harassment, one article mentioned her car being keyed, and some anonymous marine punching her in the face. That's some serious "harassment," IMO.

Indeed it is serious. When I said it "had no bearing on the investigation, of course" I was being sarcastic. Sorry if I wasn't clear.


It's tragic that this girl and her baby were murdered. Beyond that, the picture isn't clear enough to say that there was some attempted coverup.

Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which may be adequately explained by stupidity. (although it's pretty obvious that a certain degree of malice was directed at this girl anyway).

I'm not suggesting a coverup. I'm saying that at this stage, it looks like there was some spectacular mishandling of this investigation.

Beyond that, I am really, truly, not trying to make a point.

[Cam63]

Well it's certainly a big black mark on the Marine Corps.

Hopefully the guy will be found and thrown in jail, and hopefully all the people who mishandled this will be shown the door.

Hoo-rah to that.