U.S.

Slain Marine's Suspected Killer In Mexico?

January 16, 2008 / 9:08 AM EST / CBS/AP

U.S. law enforcement has said that the fugitive Marine wanted in the murder of a Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach may have fled to Mexico.

Cpl. Cesar Armando Laurean's movements have been tracked through Texas and there are indications that he likely crossed the southwest border.

Lauterbach, the 20-year-old Marine whose remains were found along with those of her child in suspected killer Laurean's backyard, had told victims' advocates at Camp Lejeune that she didn't consider her colleague to be a threat.

Lauterbach alleged in May that Laurean had raped her in March and April. A pregnancy test soon after was negative, Marine Corps officials said Tuesday, but a test in June was positive. Doctors estimated the date of conception was May 14.

Corps officials said Lauterbach met with prosecutors in November and said she no longer believed Laurean was the father. Lauterbach, who grew up in Vandalia, 10 miles north of Dayton, disappeared in December.

Authorities confirmed Tuesday that remains found over the weekend in a fire pit in Laurean's yard were those of Lauterbach and her child. Dr. Charles Garrett, the Onslow County medical examiner, said Lauterbach, who was eight months pregnant when she vanished, died of "traumatic head injury due to blunt force trauma."

The autopsy did not answer all the questions about the circumstances of Lauterbach's death, said county prosecutor Dewey Hudson. Detectives are still unsure whether she gave birth before her death and of the identity of the father, he said.

Now for the first time since Lauterbach was seen more than a month ago, the military is answering charges they could have done more to prevent her death, reports CBS News correspondent Jeff Glor.

Naval investigators concluded the purported sexual encounter in March was not criminal, said Paul Ciccarelli, an agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. The pair had a second sexual encounter about two weeks later that didn't include any threats, force, violence or coercion, he said.

"She asked him to stop, and he did stop," Ciccarelli said, saying that was the account Lauterbach gave to officials.

He said she still considered both to be incidents of rape, and that Lauterbach's regimental commander treated her allegations seriously. Her commander was intent on taking the case to an Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a grand jury proceeding.

Laurean never violated a military protective order directing him to stay away from Lauterbach, continued to report for work on time in the weeks after her disappearance and denied having any sexual contact with her, said Col. Gary Sokoloski, the judge advocate general officer for the II Marine Expeditionary Force.

"At no time did she indicate that she was threatened by Cpl. Laurean," Sokoloski said. "When she was asked if she felt threatened by Cpl. Laurean, she said she did not feel threatened."

The Marines also say she left a note before she disappeared saying she was tired of Marine life and was going away, reports Glor.

Authorities believe Laurean fled Jacksonville early Friday after leaving a note in which he admitted burying Lauterbach's body. But Tuesday, they said he is believed to be hiding and no longer needs to travel quickly or far to avoid capture.

"We believe it's certainly possible, based on him being out there for this long, and not having any sightings, that he is getting help," said Onslow County Sheriff's Capt. Rick Sutherland. "We think we have a handle on all his contacts, but there could be someone else out there helping."

Authorities towed Laurean's pickup truck on Tuesday after finding it abandoned at a motel parking lot in Morrisville, not far from where it was seen by witnesses in Durham, about 150 miles northwest of Jacksonville. It will be taken back to Onslow County to be processed by the State Bureau of Investigation, Ciccarelli said.

It was unclear how long the truck had been at the Microtel Inn. Sherrie Joyner, who works the front desk, said Laurean never checked in.

Lauterbach's ATM card was found at a bus station in Durham, and authorities received reports from several witnesses Sunday who said they saw Laurean at a bus station in Shreveport, La. Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown has said detectives have been unable to confirm the Louisiana sightings.

In his note, Laurean alleged that Lauterbach committed suicide by cutting her own throat. Brown rejected that idea even before the medical examiner weighed in, citing blood spatters on the ceiling and a large amount of blood on a wall in Laurean's home as signs of a violent confrontation.

Authorities believe Lauterbach was slain around Dec. 15. Officials have offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to Laurean's arrest and have posted or plan to post billboards with his picture in cities including Columbus, Ohio; Tampa, Fla.; and Las Vegas.