September 16, 2025 • 26 mins
Season 23 : No Theme
When Vanessa Guillen went missing from Fort Hood army base, her family knew something was wrong because she had told them that a Sergeant had been sexually harassing her. They were right to worry and the case would raise questions about the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment in the US military.
Sinister Podcast : https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sinister--5428204
Sinister YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@SomewhereSinister
Or search for "Somewhere Sinister" where ever you listen to podcasts.
Our Regular Merch Hosted by FourthWall! : https://thisismonsters.com/
GTFOH Doormats : https://this-is-monsters.printify.me/
Socials:
LinkTree : https://linktr.ee/thisismonsters
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/thisis_monsters/
Threads : https://www.threads.net/@thisis_monsters
My other shows:
This is Monsters YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@thisisMONSTERS
Vlog : https://www.youtube.com/@jileswithaj
When Vanessa Guillen went missing from Fort Hood army base, her family knew something was wrong because she had told them that a Sergeant had been sexually harassing her. They were right to worry and the case would raise questions about the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment in the US military.
Sinister Podcast : https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sinister--5428204
Sinister YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@SomewhereSinister
Or search for "Somewhere Sinister" where ever you listen to podcasts.
Our Regular Merch Hosted by FourthWall! : https://thisismonsters.com/
GTFOH Doormats : https://this-is-monsters.printify.me/
Socials:
LinkTree : https://linktr.ee/thisismonsters
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/thisis_monsters/
Threads : https://www.threads.net/@thisis_monsters
My other shows:
This is Monsters YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@thisisMONSTERS
Vlog : https://www.youtube.com/@jileswithaj
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
On Wednesday, April twenty second, twenty twenty, Myra Gion was
worried about her sister after not having been able to
reach her all day. Her younger sister, Vanessa was the
type to be in constant contact with her family, usually
sending text messages on her breaks or after her shift
at work. That day had been different, though. She had
(00:21):
not made contact all day and the text from Myra
and her mother Gloria went unanswered. They had a reason
to worry, though, as Vanessa had been planning to confront
the person she said had been sexually harassing her. It
was no coincidence that she was missing, and her family
was determined to find her. This is Monsters. Before we begin,
(01:08):
I just want to make sure you know that my
other show, Sinister is back up and there are three
episodes a week. They're dark stories from history, and if
you like this show, you'll probably like that one. Give
it a shot. There are links in the description. Thanks.
Vanessa Gean was born on September thirtieth, nineteen ninety nine,
(01:29):
in Houston, Texas, the second of six children. Her parents,
Rhaleo and Gloria, had moved to the US from a
small farming community in Mexico. Vanessa was extremely smart, testing
into the gifted program at ses Oarshavez High School. There,
she took advanced placement classes and was a star athlete
(01:49):
in track and field and on the soccer team. She
was committed to fitness and would describe herself as a
Jim Hollick. Her strong sense of commitment led her on
a path to join in the US Army. Once she
graduated from high school. She spoke of wanting to give
back to the country that had offered her family so
many opportunities. It was barely a week after she had
(02:11):
received her diploma that Vanessa was on her way to
basic training in Fort Jackson in South Carolina. From there,
she went on to Fort Lee now called Fort greg
Adams in Virginia to learn her specialty in small arms
and towed artillery repair. Those skills would make her an
armorer wherever she was eventually stationed. By the time she
(02:33):
was finished with training, she was a private first class,
and she was lucky enough to be stationed at Fort Hood,
just a few hours from her hometown. As Vanessa settled
into her new life on the base, she made friends
and regularly visited her family. Her fellow soldiers noted that
she kept the armory impeccable and that the weapons were
always in perfect working order. That was likely why she
(02:56):
soon received a promotion to the rank of specialist. She
had been dating a man named one Cruise for a
couple of years, and in March of twenty twenty, he
proposed a Vanessa and she said yes. What should have
been the happiest time in Vanessa's life slowly turned sour,
and her family members noticed something different about her. During
(03:17):
one of Vanessa's visits, Gloria finally got her daughter to
open up and tell her what was wrong. Vanessa explained
that a sergeant on the base had been sexually harassing her.
She said she hadn't reported it because it either wouldn't
be taken seriously, or worse, she would be the victim
of retaliation. Gloria did not have legal immigration status at
(03:39):
that time, and Vanessa was worried that someone could use
that against her. Gloria was ready to call the base herself,
but Vanessa assured her she would take care of it herself.
On April twenty second, twenty twenty, Vanessa's mother, Gloria and
her sister Maira had been waiting for some contact from
her all day. Vanessa not calling her texting throughout the
(04:02):
day was very unusual, and when evening hit with no
communication from her, Myra decided to make the three hour
drive to ford Hood with Gloria and the passenger seat.
The two women arrived at the base around midnight, and
when they were stopped by soldiers at the gate, they
explained the situation. They were escorted to an office where
(04:23):
a captain explained that she had not shown back up
for work after lunch and that they were in the
process of looking for her. He explained that they had
found no signs of foul play. It turned out that
Vanessa had arrived at work at the armory that morning,
just like every other morning, and at some point she
had left. A colleague had texted Vanessa at eleven oh
(04:44):
five am to ask her when she was going to
be back in the armory, but she didn't respond. Vanessa's car, keys,
id bank card, and keys to her room and the
barracks were inside the armory, so the colleague ended up
locking the armory with her belonging still inside. A witness
said that Vanessa had left her armory and went to
(05:05):
another armory to compare serial numbers on weapons. That armory
was run by a soldier named Specialist Aaron Robinson, and
other witnesses say they saw Robinson leaving his armory with
a large wheeled tough box and that it appeared to
be very heavy. Glory and Meira didn't get any answers
from the captain, and they would later say that they
(05:27):
felt like the situation wasn't being taken seriously. It's very
likely that the army command assumed that she had just
taken off, which definitely happens, but it was pretty clear
that Vanessa wasn't that kind of soldier. Vanessa's family weren't
the only people growing concerned, though, Other soldiers had been
trying to get a hold of her and the lack
(05:48):
of response was making them worry. An initial search party
of six soldiers combed to the base from ten to
fifteen pm until about two twenty five am. The search
effort resumed at six thirty am on April twenty third,
with senior leadership becoming directly involved by seven thirty am,
after it became clear that Vanessa was not going to
(06:09):
report to work that day. Vanessa was officially reported missing
on April twenty third, but the Army kept the situation
fairly quiet. Normally, when someone goes missing, there would be
information everywhere, but the command didn't make any announcements, They
didn't post any bulletins, and there were no press releases
(06:30):
within the base itself. They completed a thorough inspection of
all barracks, armories, motor pools, and unit areas, but during
the first forty eight hours, the Army kept the investigation
pretty quiet. The first twenty four hours in a missing
person's case is the most critical, so waiting another twenty
four hours on top of that was a huge failure
(06:50):
on the part of Fort Hood's command. On April twenty fourth,
the Army Criminal Investigation Division, or CID, published a news
release seeking public assistance. The search eventually expanded beyond the base,
involving multiple agencies, including the Texas Rangers, FBI, and local
police departments. A fifteen thousand dollars reward was offered for
(07:14):
information leading to Vanessa's whereabouts. That reward would increase to
fifty thousand dollars in June. No trace of Vanessa had
been found, and worse, the Army wasn't really keeping her
family in the Loop. On June thirteen, hundreds of protesters
gathered at the gates of Fort Hood while fighting for
(07:35):
answers about her missing daughter. Gloria was arrested for illegal immigration,
but was released in Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia and an immigration
attorney helped her with her immigration status. On June thirtieth,
twenty twenty, building contractors were working in Belton, Texas, about
twenty miles or thirty two kilometers from Fort Hood, when
(07:56):
they discovered human remains near the Leon River. Sheriff's deputies
arrived first, followed by Texas rangers, and eventually c ID
at Fort Hood was notified. The remains were burned and
mutilated before being partially buried in a shallow grave. Then
someone had poured some concrete over the remains in a
failed attempt to conceal them. Once the remains were confirmed
(08:21):
belonged to Vanessa, the process of trying to figure out
what had happened to her began. Specialist Aaron Robinson had
been the last person known to have seen her, and
he had already become a person of interest. He had
been questioned when Vanessa went missing, and he explained that
she had finished her work and left his armory, and
that he didn't know where she had gone after that.
(08:42):
As time went on, investigators started looking deeper into Aaron's life,
and when they got his cell phone records, they noted
that at two am on April twenty third, his phone
had pinged off of a cell tower near a bridge
that went over the Leon River and he was there
for two hours. Coincidence, not a chance Because of that
(09:04):
pingedal location, A burn sight nearby had been searched ten
days earlier, where a scorch delid to a tough box
matching the one Aaron Robinson had been wheeling was found.
Authorities had searched the area where Vanessa's remains were found
at that time, but didn't see the body. Fort Hood's
CID detained Aaron and confined him to a room, but
(09:26):
he wasn't officially under arrest. The other thing investigators had
found in his phone records were multiple calls to his girlfriend,
Cecily Aguilar on the night Vanessa when missing. When she
was initially questioned, she told investigators that Aaron had called
multiple times because she had lost her phone and he
was helping her look for it, but they knew that
(09:46):
was bullshit because the calls had been answered and went
on for a while. The same day the remains were found,
Cecily was interviewed again, where she broke down and confessed
the truth. She explained that Aaron had told her he
blew Ludgeend Vanessa to death with a hammer in his
armory and then stuffed her body into the tough box.
She went with him to the dumb site, where they
(10:08):
first tried to burn the body, but the fire wasn't
big enough. After that, they dismembered her body with an
axe and a machete and buried it in a shallow grave.
They worried that the remains wouldn't stay hidden, so they
returned two days later and poured concrete over it. Authorities
convinced Cecily to call aerin. While they recorded the call,
(10:29):
he talked to her about the discovery of the remains
and even texted her a few news articles about it.
Not long after that, Aaron started getting nervous and managed
to flee the room where he was being detained. An
alert was put out and a manhunt began to find
the suspect. It didn't take them long to find him, though,
as they were able to track his cell phone. When
(10:52):
they showed up to the house off base in the
neighboring city of Colleen just after midnight on July first,
there was a brief moment of time with a standoff
between the police and the armed suspect. The situation ended
suddenly when Aaron turned the gun on himself and took
his own life. Aaron Robinson would not be held accountable
for his crimes, and worse, he would not be able
(11:14):
to offer an explanation as to why he had killed Vanessa.
Cecily told authorities that while Vanessa was in Aaron's armory,
she had seen his cell phone lock screen, which was
an image of Cecily. Aaron was worried that he would
be punished for violating the army's fraternization rules, since Cecily
was actually still married to another Army soldier who was
(11:37):
stationed at Fort Hood. Because of that, he beat Vanessa
to death with a hammer. What the actual fuck. There's
a lot to unpack here. First, if you're worried about
something like that, why would you have a picture of
someone you aren't supposed to be dating on your phone. Now,
let's say you've ignored that simple piece of common sense,
(11:59):
and someone sees the picture, you could simply talk to
them about it, let them know that the person you're
dating and their spouse are separated, possibly getting a divorce,
because that was the case with Cecily and her husband.
She was living off base with aarin at the time.
But at the end of the day, none of that
matters because dating another soldier's spouse is not what the
(12:22):
Army's fraternization rules are about the Army's fraternization Rules AR
six hundred Dash twenty, or about relationships between soldiers of
different ranks. You can't date someone who is a supervising
rank or someone who you supervise. There is absolutely nothing
in AR six hundred Dash twenty about dating the spouse
(12:43):
of another soldier. The most recent update to AR six
hundred Dash twenty was in July of twenty twenty, and
though that update one to have affected Aaron Robinson, there
was still nothing ad it about dating the spouse of
another soldier. Is it frowned upon? Sure, but you aren't
going to have any serious action taken against you. So
(13:05):
was that really why he killed her and her death
was just that much more tragic? Or was something else
going on Vanessa claimed that she was being sexually harassed
by a sergeant, which wouldn't have been air in because
he was a specialist. But maybe he knew the sergeant
and he found out she was going to report him.
Officials from the army state that no sexual harassment had
(13:27):
taken place, But how would they know that if she
hadn't reported it and she never named the sergeant to
her family? What did investigators have to go on to
determine no sexual harassment had taken place? Did they ask
every sergeant on the base, Hey, did you sexually harassed
specialist Vanessa Gian and just take everyone at their word.
(13:48):
It's not like the US military hasn't had a history
of denying sexual harassment was happening within its ranks. In
nineteen ninety nine, Marisilla Guzman, still in nav boot camp,
was on night watch duty when she was grabbed and
dragged into a dark stairwell and sexually assaulted by a superior.
When she attempted to report the assault, she was repeatedly
(14:11):
reprimanded for not having requested to talk to the drill
sergeant properly, and was made to do multiple sets of
push ups before she could even tell her story. She
gave up and remained silent for the rest of her
time in the service. She went on to found SWAN,
the Service Women's Action Network. Kate Weber was sexually assaulted
(14:32):
by a superior in nineteen ninety six while stationed in
Germany for the Army. She would later say, quote, I
first tried reporting the rape to my staff sergeant. He
told me to be quiet and not tell anyone. So
then I tried to tell a woman sergeant who was
beneath him, because I thought she'd be more sympathetic. She
just cursed me for jumping the chain of command and
(14:53):
not coming to her first. I went to the doctor,
who did at least make a record of it, but
he did nothing. I also told my battle buddy, a
fellow female soldier. She said, I know that guy. He's
married and he would never do such a thing. You're
a liar and a slut. Before long, I was being
called a whore and a bitch by everyone. The guys
(15:16):
were warning each other, this one will accuse you of rape,
so stay away from her. I was eighteen years old
and it was the first time I had ever been
away from home. I had no idea what to do.
It isn't just women who have had their sexual assaults
ignored by military personnel. Rick Tringale was an Army basic
training in nineteen eighty six when he was beaten and
(15:38):
raped by a group of other soldiers in his barracks.
He went to the doctor the following day since he
had severe injuries, and said the doctor was initially sympathetic,
but soon the phone rang. He explained, quote the doctor
was talking to someone and looking at me. Then when
he came off the phone, he said, you're a phony.
(15:58):
Your company says you shouldn't be here, and you're fine.
He sent me away. I became a different person after that.
Everybody in the squad platoon knew what had happened. There
was no way anyone could have missed it. Though military
officials were surely aware of the problem, it continued happening.
In two thousand and five, Corey Choka was serving in
(16:20):
the Coastguard when she was beaten and sexually assaulted by
a supervisor. During the attack, she suffered a dislocated jaw,
which caused lasting pain. That was because her attacker was
never held responsible for his crime and the Department of
Veterans Affairs denied her claim when she requested surgery to
have the damage to her jaw fixed. She would later
(16:41):
equate reporting the attack to poking a beehive. She said
she felt like she was getting stung from all sides.
Her attacker had a reputation for threatening anyone who reported him.
He would threaten to kill their families, and it got
to the point where everyone was too afraid of him
to act. Of twenty twelve, she said he was still
(17:02):
in the military in twenty eleven Corey. In twenty seven,
other former military personnel filed a lawsuit against the Department
of Defense and then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. They
claimed their constitutional rights had been violated when the defendant
failed to one investigate rapes and sexual assaults, two prosecute perpetrators,
(17:26):
three provide an adequate judicial system as required by the
Uniform Military Justice Act, and four abide by congressional deadlines
to implement congressionally ordered institutional reforms to stop rapes and
other sexual assaults. It did take long for the judge
to grant the defense's motion to dismiss the case. The
(17:48):
United States military has gotten itself into a very good
position to not ever be held accountable for their wrongdoings
when it comes to active duty or former military personnel.
In two thousand and three, two male officers were convicted
of sexual assault, but later given clemency by Lieutenant Generals
Craig Franklin and Susan Helms. A twenty eleven investigation found
(18:12):
that women in the US military were more likely to
be sexually assaulted by a fellow soldier than to be
killed in action. A twenty fifteen investigation found that sexual
assault claims had increased since two thousand and nine. It
found that only three percent of victims made a formal
report of the assault, and that fifty percent of the
(18:32):
victims who don't only remained silent for fear of retaliation
if they had filed a report. Despite military officials claiming
they would be making changes to combat sexual assault in
recent years, the cases continue to happen. On August eighteenth,
twenty twenty, just four months after Vanessa Gean's disappearance, Sergeant
(18:54):
Elder Fernandez went missing, also from Fort Hood. The prior week,
he had report ordered that he had been sexually assaulted
by a supervisor. The investigator said that afterward, despite having
been transferred to another unit, he was still being hazed
by his attacker and others for filing the report. His
body was later found hanging in a tree, and it
(19:16):
was stated that there was no sign of foul play
i e. Suicide, but that seems to be a common
claim from the military anytime one of their soldiers turns
up dead. In twenty twenty three, another young woman died
after telling her family she was being sexually harassed and
the worst part was that she was also serving at
(19:37):
Fort Hood, which by then had been renamed for Cavazos.
They claimed the name change was to honor the first
Hispanic four star general in army history, but they might
have also wanted to distance themselves from the fact that
Fort Hood had become known as the base where people
kept disappearing or dying. Private Anna Buswalder Ruiz was found
(19:57):
dead on base on March thirteenth, tw in twenty three.
The base CID wouldn't disclose a cause of death, but
said there was no signs of foul play and denied
any sexual assault happened. Does this sound familiar. Her family
stated that she had told them about sexual assault happening
from a team leader in her unit. She had told
(20:19):
friends about the incident and had written about it in
her journal. She had started making a complaint about her
team leader, but he was promoted and transferred to another
unit and the report wasn't completed. She had also failed
a drug test indicating that she had THHC in her system,
and was told by a supervisor that he could make
the negative results go away if she slept with him.
(20:42):
At the least, it seems that Anna may have taken
her own life due to the ongoing harassment she was suffering,
but her family believed she was killed and it was
made to look like a suicide, something that may have
also happened to Sergeant Elder Fernandez. In twenty twenty, Cecily
Aguilar was charged with one count of conspiracy to tamper
(21:02):
with evidence and three counts of making a false statement.
She pleaded guilty to all counts and was sentenced to
thirty years in federal prison. The case placed a spotlight
on sexual assault in the military, and the Gian family
has been a major part of the fight to reform
sexual assault reporting for military personnel. Vanessa's mother, Gloria, said
(21:24):
that she was told by witnesses that they heard gun
shots at the time of Vanessa's death and Gloria believe
she was executed as part of a cover up by
senior members of the military. That may be a little
far fetched, but it is important to implement a system
where military personnel can report harassment by other personnel, especially
people in positions of authority, without the fear of retaliation.
(21:48):
Even if retaliation isn't execution, people are less likely to
report a violation if they know they'll be harassed or
even punished for making the report. In July of two
thousand twenty, the Secretary of the Army ordered a full
investigation into Vanessa Gean's case. Later that year, fourteen Army
personnel who were in command positions at Fort Hood were
(22:11):
either fired or suspended. The investigation found that there was
a quote permissive environment for sexual assault and sexual harassment
at Fort Hood. On June first, twenty twenty one, Texas
Governor Greg Abbott signed into law what is known as
the Vanessa Gean Act. It set up procedures so that
military service members can report sexual harassment or assault by
(22:34):
other members outside of the chain of command to protect
their safety and avoid retaliation. In December of twenty twenty one,
President Joe Biden signed the National Defense Authority Act, which
changed investigations into allegations of sexual assault and harassment to
have them done by someone outside of the victim's chain
of command. The question remains, is any of that really helping.
(23:00):
In twenty twenty four, there were eight thousand, one hundred
and ninety five sexual assaults reported in the US military.
That's a one percent decrease from twenty twenty three, But
a recent study from Brown University revealed that there are
likely two to four times more sexual assault cases in
the US military than what the Department of Defense has
(23:21):
been reporting, So the DoD has been under reporting sexual
assault cases in the military, shocking. In twenty twenty two,
the Gee and family filed a thirty five million dollar
lawsuit against the United States Army for the sexual assault
and wrongful death of Vanessa. The case is still ongoing. Unfortunately,
(23:45):
the question of why Aaron Robinson murdered Vanessa Gee and
will never be known. Aaron took that information with him
when he killed himself. Despite facing numerous obstacles and setbacks,
Vanessa Geean's family continues to fight for justice while advocating
for changes within the military to prevent future tragedies like
(24:05):
hers from happening again. The identification of suspects connected to
her murder highlighted issues of abuse of power and misconduct
within its ranks, prompting calls for transparency and accountability moving forward.
Justice for Vanessa Gian is not just about seeking punishment
for those involved in her murder, but also about bringing
(24:26):
awareness to systematic issues within the military that need to
be addressed. Her family's on wavering determination serves as a
beacon of hope for change and a reminder that no
service member should ever have to endure what Vanessa did.
As we honor her memory, let's also commit ourselves to
creating a safer and more inclusive environment for all who
(24:47):
serve our country. Corey Choker regularly speaks out about sexual
assault in the US military. You can learn more about
this issue by watching the documentary The Invisible War. It's
available on Amazon Prime in the US. You can also
find it on YouTube. If you're the victim of domestic abuse,
(25:07):
please reach out to someone for help. Please talk to
your local shelter, call the National Domestic Abuse Hotline at
one eight hundred seven nine nine safe. That's one eight
hundred seven nine nine seven two three three, or you
can go to the hotline dot org to chat with
someone online. If you're having feelings of harming yourself or
someone else, or even just need someone to talk to,
(25:29):
please contact your local mental health facility call nine one one,
or call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline by simply dialing
nine eight eight in the United States. They're available twenty
four hours a day, seven days a week, and we'll
talk to you about any mental health issue you might
be facing. If you're a member of the LGBTQ plus
community and suffering from discrimination, depression, or are in need
(25:51):
of any support, please contact the lgbt National Hotline at
one eight eight eight eight four three four five six four,
or go to lgb TEA hotline dot org. Thanks so
much for letting me tell you this story. If you're
a fan of true crime, you can subscribe to this
show so you don't miss an episode. My other show,
Somewhere Sinister is no longer getting new episodes, but you
(26:12):
can check it out if you like interesting stories from
history that aren't necessarily true crime, but true crime adjacent.
It's available anywhere that you listen to podcasts. You can
also check out my personal vlog Giles with a Jay,
which is sporadically updated with stuff about my personal life,
travel and music. It's available on YouTube. If you'd like
(26:33):
to support the show, check out our merchandise at thisismonsters
dot com. A link is in the description. Thanks again
and be safe
On Wednesday, April twenty second, twenty twenty, Myra Gion was
worried about her sister after not having been able to
reach her all day. Her younger sister, Vanessa was the
type to be in constant contact with her family, usually
sending text messages on her breaks or after her shift
at work. That day had been different, though. She had
(00:21):
not made contact all day and the text from Myra
and her mother Gloria went unanswered. They had a reason
to worry, though, as Vanessa had been planning to confront
the person she said had been sexually harassing her. It
was no coincidence that she was missing, and her family
was determined to find her. This is Monsters. Before we begin,
(01:08):
I just want to make sure you know that my
other show, Sinister is back up and there are three
episodes a week. They're dark stories from history, and if
you like this show, you'll probably like that one. Give
it a shot. There are links in the description. Thanks.
Vanessa Gean was born on September thirtieth, nineteen ninety nine,
(01:29):
in Houston, Texas, the second of six children. Her parents,
Rhaleo and Gloria, had moved to the US from a
small farming community in Mexico. Vanessa was extremely smart, testing
into the gifted program at ses Oarshavez High School. There,
she took advanced placement classes and was a star athlete
(01:49):
in track and field and on the soccer team. She
was committed to fitness and would describe herself as a
Jim Hollick. Her strong sense of commitment led her on
a path to join in the US Army. Once she
graduated from high school. She spoke of wanting to give
back to the country that had offered her family so
many opportunities. It was barely a week after she had
(02:11):
received her diploma that Vanessa was on her way to
basic training in Fort Jackson in South Carolina. From there,
she went on to Fort Lee now called Fort greg
Adams in Virginia to learn her specialty in small arms
and towed artillery repair. Those skills would make her an
armorer wherever she was eventually stationed. By the time she
(02:33):
was finished with training, she was a private first class,
and she was lucky enough to be stationed at Fort Hood,
just a few hours from her hometown. As Vanessa settled
into her new life on the base, she made friends
and regularly visited her family. Her fellow soldiers noted that
she kept the armory impeccable and that the weapons were
always in perfect working order. That was likely why she
(02:56):
soon received a promotion to the rank of specialist. She
had been dating a man named one Cruise for a
couple of years, and in March of twenty twenty, he
proposed a Vanessa and she said yes. What should have
been the happiest time in Vanessa's life slowly turned sour,
and her family members noticed something different about her. During
(03:17):
one of Vanessa's visits, Gloria finally got her daughter to
open up and tell her what was wrong. Vanessa explained
that a sergeant on the base had been sexually harassing her.
She said she hadn't reported it because it either wouldn't
be taken seriously, or worse, she would be the victim
of retaliation. Gloria did not have legal immigration status at
(03:39):
that time, and Vanessa was worried that someone could use
that against her. Gloria was ready to call the base herself,
but Vanessa assured her she would take care of it herself.
On April twenty second, twenty twenty, Vanessa's mother, Gloria and
her sister Maira had been waiting for some contact from
her all day. Vanessa not calling her texting throughout the
(04:02):
day was very unusual, and when evening hit with no
communication from her, Myra decided to make the three hour
drive to ford Hood with Gloria and the passenger seat.
The two women arrived at the base around midnight, and
when they were stopped by soldiers at the gate, they
explained the situation. They were escorted to an office where
(04:23):
a captain explained that she had not shown back up
for work after lunch and that they were in the
process of looking for her. He explained that they had
found no signs of foul play. It turned out that
Vanessa had arrived at work at the armory that morning,
just like every other morning, and at some point she
had left. A colleague had texted Vanessa at eleven oh
(04:44):
five am to ask her when she was going to
be back in the armory, but she didn't respond. Vanessa's car, keys,
id bank card, and keys to her room and the
barracks were inside the armory, so the colleague ended up
locking the armory with her belonging still inside. A witness
said that Vanessa had left her armory and went to
(05:05):
another armory to compare serial numbers on weapons. That armory
was run by a soldier named Specialist Aaron Robinson, and
other witnesses say they saw Robinson leaving his armory with
a large wheeled tough box and that it appeared to
be very heavy. Glory and Meira didn't get any answers
from the captain, and they would later say that they
(05:27):
felt like the situation wasn't being taken seriously. It's very
likely that the army command assumed that she had just
taken off, which definitely happens, but it was pretty clear
that Vanessa wasn't that kind of soldier. Vanessa's family weren't
the only people growing concerned, though, Other soldiers had been
trying to get a hold of her and the lack
(05:48):
of response was making them worry. An initial search party
of six soldiers combed to the base from ten to
fifteen pm until about two twenty five am. The search
effort resumed at six thirty am on April twenty third,
with senior leadership becoming directly involved by seven thirty am,
after it became clear that Vanessa was not going to
(06:09):
report to work that day. Vanessa was officially reported missing
on April twenty third, but the Army kept the situation
fairly quiet. Normally, when someone goes missing, there would be
information everywhere, but the command didn't make any announcements, They
didn't post any bulletins, and there were no press releases
(06:30):
within the base itself. They completed a thorough inspection of
all barracks, armories, motor pools, and unit areas, but during
the first forty eight hours, the Army kept the investigation
pretty quiet. The first twenty four hours in a missing
person's case is the most critical, so waiting another twenty
four hours on top of that was a huge failure
(06:50):
on the part of Fort Hood's command. On April twenty fourth,
the Army Criminal Investigation Division, or CID, published a news
release seeking public assistance. The search eventually expanded beyond the base,
involving multiple agencies, including the Texas Rangers, FBI, and local
police departments. A fifteen thousand dollars reward was offered for
(07:14):
information leading to Vanessa's whereabouts. That reward would increase to
fifty thousand dollars in June. No trace of Vanessa had
been found, and worse, the Army wasn't really keeping her
family in the Loop. On June thirteen, hundreds of protesters
gathered at the gates of Fort Hood while fighting for
(07:35):
answers about her missing daughter. Gloria was arrested for illegal immigration,
but was released in Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia and an immigration
attorney helped her with her immigration status. On June thirtieth,
twenty twenty, building contractors were working in Belton, Texas, about
twenty miles or thirty two kilometers from Fort Hood, when
(07:56):
they discovered human remains near the Leon River. Sheriff's deputies
arrived first, followed by Texas rangers, and eventually c ID
at Fort Hood was notified. The remains were burned and
mutilated before being partially buried in a shallow grave. Then
someone had poured some concrete over the remains in a
failed attempt to conceal them. Once the remains were confirmed
(08:21):
belonged to Vanessa, the process of trying to figure out
what had happened to her began. Specialist Aaron Robinson had
been the last person known to have seen her, and
he had already become a person of interest. He had
been questioned when Vanessa went missing, and he explained that
she had finished her work and left his armory, and
that he didn't know where she had gone after that.
(08:42):
As time went on, investigators started looking deeper into Aaron's life,
and when they got his cell phone records, they noted
that at two am on April twenty third, his phone
had pinged off of a cell tower near a bridge
that went over the Leon River and he was there
for two hours. Coincidence, not a chance Because of that
(09:04):
pingedal location, A burn sight nearby had been searched ten
days earlier, where a scorch delid to a tough box
matching the one Aaron Robinson had been wheeling was found.
Authorities had searched the area where Vanessa's remains were found
at that time, but didn't see the body. Fort Hood's
CID detained Aaron and confined him to a room, but
(09:26):
he wasn't officially under arrest. The other thing investigators had
found in his phone records were multiple calls to his girlfriend,
Cecily Aguilar on the night Vanessa when missing. When she
was initially questioned, she told investigators that Aaron had called
multiple times because she had lost her phone and he
was helping her look for it, but they knew that
(09:46):
was bullshit because the calls had been answered and went
on for a while. The same day the remains were found,
Cecily was interviewed again, where she broke down and confessed
the truth. She explained that Aaron had told her he
blew Ludgeend Vanessa to death with a hammer in his
armory and then stuffed her body into the tough box.
She went with him to the dumb site, where they
(10:08):
first tried to burn the body, but the fire wasn't
big enough. After that, they dismembered her body with an
axe and a machete and buried it in a shallow grave.
They worried that the remains wouldn't stay hidden, so they
returned two days later and poured concrete over it. Authorities
convinced Cecily to call aerin. While they recorded the call,
(10:29):
he talked to her about the discovery of the remains
and even texted her a few news articles about it.
Not long after that, Aaron started getting nervous and managed
to flee the room where he was being detained. An
alert was put out and a manhunt began to find
the suspect. It didn't take them long to find him, though,
as they were able to track his cell phone. When
(10:52):
they showed up to the house off base in the
neighboring city of Colleen just after midnight on July first,
there was a brief moment of time with a standoff
between the police and the armed suspect. The situation ended
suddenly when Aaron turned the gun on himself and took
his own life. Aaron Robinson would not be held accountable
for his crimes, and worse, he would not be able
(11:14):
to offer an explanation as to why he had killed Vanessa.
Cecily told authorities that while Vanessa was in Aaron's armory,
she had seen his cell phone lock screen, which was
an image of Cecily. Aaron was worried that he would
be punished for violating the army's fraternization rules, since Cecily
was actually still married to another Army soldier who was
(11:37):
stationed at Fort Hood. Because of that, he beat Vanessa
to death with a hammer. What the actual fuck. There's
a lot to unpack here. First, if you're worried about
something like that, why would you have a picture of
someone you aren't supposed to be dating on your phone. Now,
let's say you've ignored that simple piece of common sense,
(11:59):
and someone sees the picture, you could simply talk to
them about it, let them know that the person you're
dating and their spouse are separated, possibly getting a divorce,
because that was the case with Cecily and her husband.
She was living off base with aarin at the time.
But at the end of the day, none of that
matters because dating another soldier's spouse is not what the
(12:22):
Army's fraternization rules are about the Army's fraternization Rules AR
six hundred Dash twenty, or about relationships between soldiers of
different ranks. You can't date someone who is a supervising
rank or someone who you supervise. There is absolutely nothing
in AR six hundred Dash twenty about dating the spouse
(12:43):
of another soldier. The most recent update to AR six
hundred Dash twenty was in July of twenty twenty, and
though that update one to have affected Aaron Robinson, there
was still nothing ad it about dating the spouse of
another soldier. Is it frowned upon? Sure, but you aren't
going to have any serious action taken against you. So
(13:05):
was that really why he killed her and her death
was just that much more tragic? Or was something else
going on Vanessa claimed that she was being sexually harassed
by a sergeant, which wouldn't have been air in because
he was a specialist. But maybe he knew the sergeant
and he found out she was going to report him.
Officials from the army state that no sexual harassment had
(13:27):
taken place, But how would they know that if she
hadn't reported it and she never named the sergeant to
her family? What did investigators have to go on to
determine no sexual harassment had taken place? Did they ask
every sergeant on the base, Hey, did you sexually harassed
specialist Vanessa Gian and just take everyone at their word.
(13:48):
It's not like the US military hasn't had a history
of denying sexual harassment was happening within its ranks. In
nineteen ninety nine, Marisilla Guzman, still in nav boot camp,
was on night watch duty when she was grabbed and
dragged into a dark stairwell and sexually assaulted by a superior.
When she attempted to report the assault, she was repeatedly
(14:11):
reprimanded for not having requested to talk to the drill
sergeant properly, and was made to do multiple sets of
push ups before she could even tell her story. She
gave up and remained silent for the rest of her
time in the service. She went on to found SWAN,
the Service Women's Action Network. Kate Weber was sexually assaulted
(14:32):
by a superior in nineteen ninety six while stationed in
Germany for the Army. She would later say, quote, I
first tried reporting the rape to my staff sergeant. He
told me to be quiet and not tell anyone. So
then I tried to tell a woman sergeant who was
beneath him, because I thought she'd be more sympathetic. She
just cursed me for jumping the chain of command and
(14:53):
not coming to her first. I went to the doctor,
who did at least make a record of it, but
he did nothing. I also told my battle buddy, a
fellow female soldier. She said, I know that guy. He's
married and he would never do such a thing. You're
a liar and a slut. Before long, I was being
called a whore and a bitch by everyone. The guys
(15:16):
were warning each other, this one will accuse you of rape,
so stay away from her. I was eighteen years old
and it was the first time I had ever been
away from home. I had no idea what to do.
It isn't just women who have had their sexual assaults
ignored by military personnel. Rick Tringale was an Army basic
training in nineteen eighty six when he was beaten and
(15:38):
raped by a group of other soldiers in his barracks.
He went to the doctor the following day since he
had severe injuries, and said the doctor was initially sympathetic,
but soon the phone rang. He explained, quote the doctor
was talking to someone and looking at me. Then when
he came off the phone, he said, you're a phony.
(15:58):
Your company says you shouldn't be here, and you're fine.
He sent me away. I became a different person after that.
Everybody in the squad platoon knew what had happened. There
was no way anyone could have missed it. Though military
officials were surely aware of the problem, it continued happening.
In two thousand and five, Corey Choka was serving in
(16:20):
the Coastguard when she was beaten and sexually assaulted by
a supervisor. During the attack, she suffered a dislocated jaw,
which caused lasting pain. That was because her attacker was
never held responsible for his crime and the Department of
Veterans Affairs denied her claim when she requested surgery to
have the damage to her jaw fixed. She would later
(16:41):
equate reporting the attack to poking a beehive. She said
she felt like she was getting stung from all sides.
Her attacker had a reputation for threatening anyone who reported him.
He would threaten to kill their families, and it got
to the point where everyone was too afraid of him
to act. Of twenty twelve, she said he was still
(17:02):
in the military in twenty eleven Corey. In twenty seven,
other former military personnel filed a lawsuit against the Department
of Defense and then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. They
claimed their constitutional rights had been violated when the defendant
failed to one investigate rapes and sexual assaults, two prosecute perpetrators,
(17:26):
three provide an adequate judicial system as required by the
Uniform Military Justice Act, and four abide by congressional deadlines
to implement congressionally ordered institutional reforms to stop rapes and
other sexual assaults. It did take long for the judge
to grant the defense's motion to dismiss the case. The
(17:48):
United States military has gotten itself into a very good
position to not ever be held accountable for their wrongdoings
when it comes to active duty or former military personnel.
In two thousand and three, two male officers were convicted
of sexual assault, but later given clemency by Lieutenant Generals
Craig Franklin and Susan Helms. A twenty eleven investigation found
(18:12):
that women in the US military were more likely to
be sexually assaulted by a fellow soldier than to be
killed in action. A twenty fifteen investigation found that sexual
assault claims had increased since two thousand and nine. It
found that only three percent of victims made a formal
report of the assault, and that fifty percent of the
(18:32):
victims who don't only remained silent for fear of retaliation
if they had filed a report. Despite military officials claiming
they would be making changes to combat sexual assault in
recent years, the cases continue to happen. On August eighteenth,
twenty twenty, just four months after Vanessa Gean's disappearance, Sergeant
(18:54):
Elder Fernandez went missing, also from Fort Hood. The prior week,
he had report ordered that he had been sexually assaulted
by a supervisor. The investigator said that afterward, despite having
been transferred to another unit, he was still being hazed
by his attacker and others for filing the report. His
body was later found hanging in a tree, and it
(19:16):
was stated that there was no sign of foul play
i e. Suicide, but that seems to be a common
claim from the military anytime one of their soldiers turns
up dead. In twenty twenty three, another young woman died
after telling her family she was being sexually harassed and
the worst part was that she was also serving at
(19:37):
Fort Hood, which by then had been renamed for Cavazos.
They claimed the name change was to honor the first
Hispanic four star general in army history, but they might
have also wanted to distance themselves from the fact that
Fort Hood had become known as the base where people
kept disappearing or dying. Private Anna Buswalder Ruiz was found
(19:57):
dead on base on March thirteenth, tw in twenty three.
The base CID wouldn't disclose a cause of death, but
said there was no signs of foul play and denied
any sexual assault happened. Does this sound familiar. Her family
stated that she had told them about sexual assault happening
from a team leader in her unit. She had told
(20:19):
friends about the incident and had written about it in
her journal. She had started making a complaint about her
team leader, but he was promoted and transferred to another
unit and the report wasn't completed. She had also failed
a drug test indicating that she had THHC in her system,
and was told by a supervisor that he could make
the negative results go away if she slept with him.
(20:42):
At the least, it seems that Anna may have taken
her own life due to the ongoing harassment she was suffering,
but her family believed she was killed and it was
made to look like a suicide, something that may have
also happened to Sergeant Elder Fernandez. In twenty twenty, Cecily
Aguilar was charged with one count of conspiracy to tamper
(21:02):
with evidence and three counts of making a false statement.
She pleaded guilty to all counts and was sentenced to
thirty years in federal prison. The case placed a spotlight
on sexual assault in the military, and the Gian family
has been a major part of the fight to reform
sexual assault reporting for military personnel. Vanessa's mother, Gloria, said
(21:24):
that she was told by witnesses that they heard gun
shots at the time of Vanessa's death and Gloria believe
she was executed as part of a cover up by
senior members of the military. That may be a little
far fetched, but it is important to implement a system
where military personnel can report harassment by other personnel, especially
people in positions of authority, without the fear of retaliation.
(21:48):
Even if retaliation isn't execution, people are less likely to
report a violation if they know they'll be harassed or
even punished for making the report. In July of two
thousand twenty, the Secretary of the Army ordered a full
investigation into Vanessa Gean's case. Later that year, fourteen Army
personnel who were in command positions at Fort Hood were
(22:11):
either fired or suspended. The investigation found that there was
a quote permissive environment for sexual assault and sexual harassment
at Fort Hood. On June first, twenty twenty one, Texas
Governor Greg Abbott signed into law what is known as
the Vanessa Gean Act. It set up procedures so that
military service members can report sexual harassment or assault by
(22:34):
other members outside of the chain of command to protect
their safety and avoid retaliation. In December of twenty twenty one,
President Joe Biden signed the National Defense Authority Act, which
changed investigations into allegations of sexual assault and harassment to
have them done by someone outside of the victim's chain
of command. The question remains, is any of that really helping.
(23:00):
In twenty twenty four, there were eight thousand, one hundred
and ninety five sexual assaults reported in the US military.
That's a one percent decrease from twenty twenty three, But
a recent study from Brown University revealed that there are
likely two to four times more sexual assault cases in
the US military than what the Department of Defense has
(23:21):
been reporting, So the DoD has been under reporting sexual
assault cases in the military, shocking. In twenty twenty two,
the Gee and family filed a thirty five million dollar
lawsuit against the United States Army for the sexual assault
and wrongful death of Vanessa. The case is still ongoing. Unfortunately,
(23:45):
the question of why Aaron Robinson murdered Vanessa Gee and
will never be known. Aaron took that information with him
when he killed himself. Despite facing numerous obstacles and setbacks,
Vanessa Geean's family continues to fight for justice while advocating
for changes within the military to prevent future tragedies like
(24:05):
hers from happening again. The identification of suspects connected to
her murder highlighted issues of abuse of power and misconduct
within its ranks, prompting calls for transparency and accountability moving forward.
Justice for Vanessa Gian is not just about seeking punishment
for those involved in her murder, but also about bringing
(24:26):
awareness to systematic issues within the military that need to
be addressed. Her family's on wavering determination serves as a
beacon of hope for change and a reminder that no
service member should ever have to endure what Vanessa did.
As we honor her memory, let's also commit ourselves to
creating a safer and more inclusive environment for all who
(24:47):
serve our country. Corey Choker regularly speaks out about sexual
assault in the US military. You can learn more about
this issue by watching the documentary The Invisible War. It's
available on Amazon Prime in the US. You can also
find it on YouTube. If you're the victim of domestic abuse,
(25:07):
please reach out to someone for help. Please talk to
your local shelter, call the National Domestic Abuse Hotline at
one eight hundred seven nine nine safe. That's one eight
hundred seven nine nine seven two three three, or you
can go to the hotline dot org to chat with
someone online. If you're having feelings of harming yourself or
someone else, or even just need someone to talk to,
(25:29):
please contact your local mental health facility call nine one one,
or call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline by simply dialing
nine eight eight in the United States. They're available twenty
four hours a day, seven days a week, and we'll
talk to you about any mental health issue you might
be facing. If you're a member of the LGBTQ plus
community and suffering from discrimination, depression, or are in need
(25:51):
of any support, please contact the lgbt National Hotline at
one eight eight eight eight four three four five six four,
or go to lgb TEA hotline dot org. Thanks so
much for letting me tell you this story. If you're
a fan of true crime, you can subscribe to this
show so you don't miss an episode. My other show,
Somewhere Sinister is no longer getting new episodes, but you
(26:12):
can check it out if you like interesting stories from
history that aren't necessarily true crime, but true crime adjacent.
It's available anywhere that you listen to podcasts. You can
also check out my personal vlog Giles with a Jay,
which is sporadically updated with stuff about my personal life,
travel and music. It's available on YouTube. If you'd like
(26:33):
to support the show, check out our merchandise at thisismonsters
dot com. A link is in the description. Thanks again
and be safe
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.