Rep. Cisneros Joins Colleagues Requesting DoD IG to Conduct an Independent Investigation into Specialist Vanessa Guillen’s Case

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Representative Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr. (CA-39) joined 87 Members of Congress requesting for Sean O’Donnell, the Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General, to conduct an independent investigation into Fort Hood’s handling of Specialist (SPC) Vanessa Guillen’s case. The letter sent to DoD IG O’Donnell can be found here.

“Spc. Vanessa Guillen served our country with courage and strength, and she deserved so much better—so does her family,” said Rep. Cisneros. “I join my congressional colleagues in calling for DoD IG O’Donnell to conduct an independent investigation into Guillen’s case. As a Navy Veteran, I know that Congress needs to do more to ensure our military creates an environment where every servicemember is treated with dignity and respect.”

SPC Vanessa Guillen was a Houston native and a 20-year old Latino soldier that was last seen in Fort Hood on April 22nd, 2020. Human remains were found near Leon River in Bell County, Texas on June 30th, 2020. Since then, one suspect has been apprehended by law enforcement and the other committed suicide when he was confronted. The human remains found last week were positively identified as SPC Vanessa Guillen July 5th, 2020.