News & Observer | newsobserver.com | Marine's truck found in Morrisville

Cesar Armando Laurean case

Published: Jan 15, 2008 03:13 PM
Modified: Jan 15, 2008 06:10 PM

Marine's truck found in Morrisville

MURDER1.NE.011508.CCS
Police officers check vehicles in the parking lot of the Microtel Inn near RDU Airport this afternoon. A black truck in the parking lot is believed to be that of a Marine wanted in the death of a pregnant Camp Lejeune Marine.

Story Tools

Advertisements
A black pickup truck belonging to a Camp Lejeune Marine suspected of killing a pregnant colleague has been found outside a motel in Morrisville.

Morrisville police and other investigators this afternoon were at the Microtel Inn where the truck belonging to Marine Cpl. Cesar Armando Laurean has been found. The Onslow County Sheriff's Office said investigators "generated a lead" on the truck's whereabouts around 1 p.m. today.

Investigators are continuing to follow leads in the area, the sheriff's office said.

Laurean is charged with killing Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, whose body was found buried in Laurean's yard. She died from "traumatic head injury due to blunt force trauma," according to an autopsy report.

Authorities recovered her burned remains, along with those of her unborn child, over the weekend from a fire pit in the backyard of Laurean, a fellow personnel clerk whom she had accused of rape.

Authorities believe Laurean fled Jacksonville early Friday morning, after leaving a note in which he admitted burying Lauterbach's body.

Before the truck was spotted, investigators said they thought Laurean had gone into hiding and no longer needs to move at great speed or travel a long distance 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, according to the Associated Press. "We think we have a handle on all his contacts, but there could be someone else out there helping."

The finding that Lauterbach died from a blow to the head contradicted Laurean's note, which claimed she had committed suicide by cutting her own throat. Investigators say blood spatters on the ceiling and a massive amount of blood on the wall inside Laurean's home were signs of a violent confrontation.

But the autopsy didn't answer all the questions authorities have about Lauterbach's death, said county prosecutor Dewey Hudson, according to the AP. Lauterbach was eight months pregnant, and detectives are still are not sure whether she gave birth before her slaying, he said.

They have also not been able to confirm the identity of the father, although Lauterbach's family has previously said the man who raped her fathered the child.

Authorities believe Lauterbach was slain around Dec. 15, not long after she met with military prosecutors to talk about her April allegation that Laurean raped her. That case was progressing, Naval investigators have said, adding that a military protective order was in place against Laurean and commanders had assigned the pair to different buildings on base.

All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be published, broadcast or redistributed in any manner.
No comments have been posted for this story. Log in to be the first to comment.


The News & Observer is pleased to be able to offer its users the opportunity to make comments and hold conversations online. However, the interactive nature of the internet makes it impracticable for our staff to monitor each and every posting.

Since The News & Observer does not control user submitted statements, we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted on our website. In addition, we remind anyone interested in making an online comment that responsibility for statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not The News and Observer.

If you find a comment offensive, clicking on the exclamation icon will flag the comment for review by the administrators, we are counting on the good judgment of all our readers to help us.

Print Ads View all ads from past 7 days »

Hosting Partners of
newsobserver.com

A subsidiary of The McClatchy Company