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.

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