The disappearance and killing of Vanessa Guillén, a U.S. Army professional stationed in Fort Hood, Texas, in 2020 shook the country and caused widescale modifications in how the military secures victims of sexual violence.
On Saturday, a state highway in her home town, Houston, will be called after the Mexican American soldier, part of a series of ceremonies to honor her tradition.
Household and authorities collected on State Highway 3 in Harris County, in between the crossways of Interstate Highway 45 and Almeda Genoa Roadway, to mark the identifying of the Vanessa Guillén Memorial Highway.
The event comes 2 years after Guillén, 20, was reported missing out on. She was last seen alive on April 22, 2020. Her disappearance amassed require an examination from Latino civil liberties groups and even worldwide celebs, consisting of the star Salma Hayek. Rep. Sylvia García, D-Texas, who was assisting the Guilléns for months, echoed the significance of keeping the case in the public eye.
“She might have been any among our children,” García previously informed NBC News. “She might have been our niece, our granddaughter, everyone related to it.”
Guillén’s remains were discovered near the base 2 months later on. She was promoted to professional posthumously. Spc. Aaron Robinson, 20, shot and eliminated himself when cops relocated to apprehend him in connection with Guillén’s disappearance and death, authorities stated in July 2020.
Guillén’s murder galvanized a motion to end sexual violence in the armed force. Prior to her death, Guillén informed loved ones and associates at Fort Hood that she had actually been sexually bugged. This year, legislators passed the I Am Vanessa Guillén Act, which intends to safeguard victims of sexual violence in the armed force.
“The very best method to honor my sis was by having actually history being made in her honor, in her memory,” Mayra Guillén, Vanessa’s older sis, stated at a press conference in January.
The relabeling event becomes part of a series of ceremonies for the killed soldier in Texas, consisting of a series of 20 murals by regional artists, one for each year of her life, reports KCEN-TV, an NBC affiliate. State legislators authorized an expense to make Sept. 30, Guillén’s birthday, “Vanessa Guillén Day.”
In 2015, Fort Hood revealed a gate called in her honor.
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