>> it's like she vanished into thin air. >> i want her back. >> this takes a turn, this story. >> her family said she was being sexually harassed by a superior officer. >> women are coming forward saying they too were sexually harassed in the army. >> enough is enough. we need to change this. >> the trends are going the wrong way that terry at us as an institution. >> a man out digging holes sees what he thinks is human hair. >> i kept praying. don't let it be. >> hello, and welcome to dateline. vanessa guillen was living her dream, serving in the military while keeping close to her family. then she disappeared. as investigators searched for the missing soldier, her loved ones went public with a go accusation that sparked a movement. their quest for answers which shine a spotlight on an ugly truth but would it lead them to vanessa. here is voices for vanessa. >> i couldn't believe it was happening to me. it was the scariest part of my life because i was alone. >> so many were quiet for so long. >> i was harassed, sexually assaulted, and physically threatened. >> this man i trust it, felt violated. i felt stupid. >> now they want to be heard. >> the men who sexually assaulted the are still serving in uniform. >> there is no excuse for harassment. it has to stop. >> all these voices inspired by one that suddenly went silent. april 22, 2020 should've been an easy wednesday for private first class vanessa guillen . she was heading to her station at fort hood since renamed. she completed a few tasks her boss texted her about the night before. even in this regimented army road, pfc. vanessa guillen texted a lot with her boyfriend, her girlfriends, and according to her sister, vanessa constantly texted with her mother gloria. >> my mom text her every other hour. what are you eating? are you okay? >> it was strange then by midday their mom stopped hearing from vanessa. that's when her sister tried to reach her. >> the call went to voicemail. i texted her the message, i tried calling again and it went to voicemail. that's when i started getting really scared. >> her life story was a typically american one. the daughter of immigrants, one of six children. she was a mix of many things. ambition, generosity, humor. when no one was watching, she was with her family. what was her personality like? >> she was goofy. she would laugh at herself and her laugh was contagious. >> according to gloria, even as a child she was laser focus. is a true she wanted to be in the army as young as 10 years old? >> mommy, i'm going to enlist in the army. >> by high school, it looked like vanessa would have plenty of options in life. she excelled in school and her friend said sports were her thing. >> working out. she was always exercising. >> why she the whole package in high school? as graduation neared, she told her family she changed her mind. she still planned to enlist in the army. >> she wanted to help others. she wanted better opportunities. >> after basic training, she was assigned to the third cavalry division at fort hood. she specialized in artillery repair and small arms. things went well and she made friends and received great feedback from superiors on the weekends she would make the drive down to visit her family in houston. a few months in, her family noticed a change. >> [ speaking in a global language ] >> gloria asked her daughter what was wrong? >> [ speaking in a global language ] >> one year later, vanessa had gone off the family radar. as the day passed, her silent night that myra. she could've been occupied with work. still, it was not like vanessa to disappear in the problem was where to look for her. >> fort hood is one of the largest army installations in the world. >> she reports for an nbc affiliate. >> it has a about 214,000 acres. there's about 65,000 soldiers roughly. it's a very large place. >> myra agonized. the place was so large her sister could be forgotten. she did not like what she was hearing when she said she spoke with one of her staff sergeants. >> he wouldn't tell me anything. that made me even more upset. >> too upset to sit home and wait. you headed to fort hood? you needed answers. myra said she was surprised by the reception she got at the gate. what did they tell you? >> they tried to ask me if i knew anything. i'm like, if i knew anything i would not be standing here. >> this is a mystery what happened to your sister. no one knows anything? >> everyone claims they didn't know. >> army investigators did tell the family one terrifying thing . >> everything was there. her car, her keys, credit and debit card. or military i.d. she would never leave without it. >> that is extremely bizarre that she is gone but these critical items that of course any soldier would have, especially the i.d. is there. what did that tell you? >> something really bad happened to her. >> how did she disappear? >> exactly. >> coming up. how does someone disappear from a military base? >> my first thought, she must've went awol. >> the last images of vanessa before she went missing, picking up food at a local restaurant. >> the owner said she seemed like she was worried about something. ut something. pronamel active shied because it actively shields the enamel to defend against erosion and cavities. i think that this product is a game changer for my patients. it really works. this charmin ultra soft smooth tear is soooo soft and soo smooth. charmin ultra soft smooth tear has wavy perforations that tear so much better for a smooth more enjoyable go. charmin, enjoy the go. 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(announcer) you can quit. that's why more choose comcast business. and now we're introducing ultimate speed for business, our fastest plans yet. we're up to 12 times faster than verizon, at&t, and t-mobile. and existing customers could even get up to triple the speeds at no additional cost. from the company with 99.9% network reliability and advanced cyber security, it's ultimate speed for ultimate business. and it's all from comcast business. on april 24, two days after vanessa guillen's disappearance, the army released april 24, two days after vanessa guillen's disappearance, the armillary release a load be on the lookout notice. at first jasmine did not pay much attention. >> it happens often. my first thought, she must've went awol. swept it under the rug. but then, the next day, it wouldn't go away. you are like, let's look into this. >> vanessa's family and friends are determined to find her. >> what caught her eye right away was the determination of vanessa's family. you did not leave the area. you state. >> i told her, we are not going to leave until i know something more until i find her. >> i know she will be with us soon. >> fort hood dispatched soldiers to search for vanessa. local state and federal law enforcement help. as the days grew, her family wandered if it lacked urgency. they kept pressure on investigators and searchers, looking for her themselves. >> it's a matter of time before somebody actually confesses something or we find a way to find her. >> we were searching anywhere. we kept printing posters and pulling them everywhere. calling and texting people. >> dateline posted an article about vanessa reaching hundreds of thousands of people online. the family did not let up but they say the army was not much help. they got very little information from fort hood. >> they tried, we can't help you anymore because there's no information. there's no tips. that your job. do your job. >> the family said the conversations at fort hood disturbed them. the army was not sharing enough details and the search was still moving too slowly. >> we started protesting at the east gate telling them we are not going to leave. we are going to stay here until we find vanessa. >> i want her back. >> even with weekly rallies, local tv coverage, and intensified searches, there was no sign of vanessa. a reward were posted in hundreds of people were searching. weeks had gone by and nothing. >> i still had faith. i had faith we were going to find her. >> then jasmin caldwell found what she thought was a clue. >> the owner of this restaurant gave me surveillance footage. >> it was video of vanessa from the week before she went missing. >> you can see her going to get food inside. >> the last images of vanessa before she disappeared. >> the owner says he knew her well and the last time he saw her she did not seem like her normal cheerful self. he said she seemed like she was worried about something. >> our partner network telemundo went to the restaurant as she tried to find which he could. >> [ speaking in a global language ] >> for weeks, the family had been trying everything to find vanessa including a push on social media. >> we started a facebook page. >> the page was exploding. >> every day we would get 10,000 followers. >> and now jasmin's station had company. >> it's getting national attention. we lived, we eat and sleep and breathe vanessa guillen. >> it was getting traction. >> we kept pressure as a family because we wanted answers. >> this shows how much people do care. >> lupe began reading about fort hood. she discovered investigations into problems there. >> from fort hood army base. i read two mass shootings. gang members. drug use. violence. i was like, what's happening in fort hood? >> in addition fort hood has some of the highest murder, sexual harassment and sexual assault in the u.s. army. knowing that only made the family doubt the army officials more. nearly two months after vanessa disappeared, her family took a dramatic step. vanessa's mother said vanessa told her a secret. she said she had been sexually harassed by a superior. the family went public on telemundo. >> [ speaking in a global language ] >> finesses family was certain her disappearance was connected to sexual harassment. >> i don't know what they think gives them the right to harass my sister. >> they demanded investigators get to the bottom of it. >> they all have a grandma, sister, mother, daughter. would you like them to be sexually harassed? >> they revealed finesses secret in the hopes of solving a secret. what they did not realize was they just started a movement. one-family's tragedy unites a sea of strangers and more secrets spill out. coming up. outrage and then an outpouring. >> this kicked off #iamvanessaguillen . the stories these women were posted, it was flooding social media. >> stories of one call the man's world of the military. >> i told them, you need to cut that out. he said what are you going to do about it? in my mind, i realize they are not going to do anything about it. that was the lowest point for me. me. breathing claritin clear is like... 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>> a lot. how do you manage to do push- ups with those? >> were any comments hitting on you? >> they would say no offense. you are one of the good looking ones. >> melissa had to be careful how she reacted, especially with superiors. what if it was your superior making the comment and you snapped back, what would happen? >> there would probably be a reprimand at that point. there is a very real fear of retaliation. >> it was not just her superiors. >> i was in company command and i had a soldier make comments toward me. i told him, you really need to cut that out. he said what are you going to do about it? and, in my mind, i realize not going to do anything about it. that was the lowest point for me. >> when you have that realization that he is right, i'm not going to. that's a horrible realization. >> it was a horrible realization. this is someone reporting to me who is taking away my authority and agency as a woman and an officer and saying you're not going to do anything about it. >> for bryant, the message was clear. taking on harassers could damage her career. is it fair to say the military is mostly a man's world? >> it very much so is. it is steen changing. >> while the military set of programs like sharp, the army sexual harassment and response program, reports of sexual harassment still rose by 10% between 2018 and 2019. higher numbers can partly be attributed to some servicemembers feeling more comfortable reporting harassment and abuse. >> where is vanessa? >> as finesses disappeared turned into a cause, family brought on board a firebrand attorney named natalie khawam to get to the bottom of their claims vanessa was sexually harassed. >> she said how much are you going to charge us? i'm not going to charge you anything. you lost your sister. >> she said the army was reluctant to share details with her too. as a possible they were doing this investigation but they were holding it because that's how they operate and they are not going to share critical details in an investigation? >> with a missing person case, you share information with a family. i feel they did not want to share because they did not want to be critiqued. they don't want to be questioned. >> major general donna martin, the criminal investigation division which investigated finesses disappearance. >> i think is a misperception by many that because we watch all of these crime shows on tv that they unfold that easily and dna turns around and the evidence turns up. it does not happen like that in real life. >> how important was at investigation? she said behind-the-scenes it was much more intense than anyone realized. she will take us inside it, next. next. vanessa. they are searching the company areas. they are searching the installation. they are looking everywhere for vanessa. >> a frustrating hunt for clues. >> there is no signs of blood. ava: i was just feeling sick. and it was the worst day. mom was crying. i was sad. colton: i was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma. brett: once we got the first initial hit, it was just straight tears, sickness in your stomach, just don't want to get up out of bed. joe: there's always that saying, well, you've got to look on the bright side of things. tell me what the bright side of childhood cancer is. lakesha: it's a long road. it's hard. but saint jude has gotten us through it. narrator: saint jude children's research hospital works day after day to find cures and save the lives of children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. thanks to generous donors like you, families never receive a bill from saint jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food, so they can focus on helping their child live. ashley: without all of those donations, saint jude would not be able to do all of the exceptional work that they do. narrator: for just $19 a month, you'll help us continue the life-saving research and treatment these kids need. tiffany: no matter if it's a big business or just the grandmother that donates once a month, they are changing people's lives. and that's a big deal. narrator: join with your debit or credit card right now, and we'll send you this saint jude t-shirt that you can proudly wear to show your support. nicole: our family is forever grateful for donations big and small because it's completely changed our lives and it's given us a second chance. elizabeth stewart: saint jude's not going to stop until every single kid gets that chance to walk out of the doors of this hospital cancer-free. narrator: please, don't wait. call, go online, or scan the qr code below right now. [music playing] - [narrator] life with ear ringing sounded like a constant train whistle i couldn't escape. then i started taking lipo flavonoid. with 60 years of clinical experience, it's the number one doctor recommended brand for ear ringing. and now i'm finally free. take back control with lipo flavonoid. - [narrator] life with ear ringing sounded like a constant train whistle i couldn't escape. then i started taking lipo flavonoid. with 60 years of clinical experience, it's the number one doctor recommended brand for ear ringing. and now i'm finally free. take back control with lipo flavonoid. good morning. israel's military said it will pause fighting during the daytime hours along the route in southern gaza debt-free a backlog of humanitarian aid deliveries. the pause applies to 7.5 miles of road in the rafah area. stereophonic took home five awards including best new play. it earned 13 tony nominations. that's the most a play has ever received. i'm andrea canning. vanessa guillen's family said she was sexually harassed before vanishing from her army base. welcome back to dateline. i am andrea canning. vanessa guillen's family said she was sexually harassed before vanishing from her army base. their claim inspired other servicemembers to share similar stories on social media. vanessa's loved ones worry the missing person case was going nowhere. it turns out a breakthrough was just around the