Reward Increased To $50,000 To Find Missing Fort Hood Soldier
UPDATE: The reward to find missing 20-year-old Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen has been increased to $50,000.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) made the announcement during a virtual news conference held by Texas Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia and the Guillen family.
During the press conference, Congresswoman Garcia said Vanessa's mom told authorities that her daughter expressed to her that she did not feel safe at the base in Fort Hood and was possibly a victim of sexual assault.
Vanessa was last seen on April 22 at 1 p.m. in the parking lot of her Regimental Engineer Squadron Headquarters, 3rd Cavalry Regiment.
ORIGINAL STORY: Her car keys, barracks room key, ID and wallet were found in the armory room where she was working the week she went missing on April 22. It's now been more than 50 days since 20-year-old Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen was reported missing by her sister; there's been no sighting of her since.
We shared Vanessa's story in April along with details of the extensive search that was underway for her. Now celebrities and social media influencers are getting on board with helping to bring Vanessa home and holding on to hope that she's still alive.
Film actress Salma Hayek posted on Instagram to her over 15 million followers a picture of Vanessa along with a message saying 'Bring Us Back Vanessa'.
An Instagram influencer by the name of SpoiledLatina posted image citing a missing soldier and that the Fort Hood military base has been silent about Vanessa's case. She also says that the military base has "repeatedly failed to protect women and men who serve this nation".
According to news outlet News4SA, Fort Hood officials say that there have been numerous meetings with Vanessa's family members in an attempt to find her. However, the family claims that the military base has had other soldiers disappear from the base before.
There's now a $15,000 reward being offered for credible information on Vanessa's whereabouts. Vanessa is described as being of Hispanic descent, 5'2", and 126 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, light purple leggings and black Nike tennis shoes. Vanessa has the tattoo of a cross with a flower on her left arm, another flower also on the left arm, and a mountain with a circle on her upper left shoulder.
The family has started a White House petition, which has surpassed 144,000 signatures and a website for Vanessa's case.