*UPDATE* Spc. Megan Touma Murder ** News Conference Held *UPDATE*

July 30, 2008

An arrest has been made in the murder of Spc. Megan Touma, the pregnant Fort Bragg soldier who was found dead in the bathtub of a Fayetteville, North Carolina motel in June. 

At about 6:00 PM Tuesday July 29, 2008 Fayetteville Police took Edgar Patino, 27, into custody at the home he shares with his wife in Hope Mills, NC.  Patino is a soldier studying psychological warfare at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare School, which is part of Army Special Operations at Fort Bragg.  He is being held in the Cumberland County Jail under charges of first degree murder in the death of Megan Touma.

Police stated previously that someone had been questioned at the Special Warfare School.  It has now been confirmed that Patino was that person.

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Police have now confirmed that Edgar Patino is the father of Megan Touma’s unborn baby.  The two served in Germany together until Patino was returned to Fort Bragg. 

The press conference that was held this morning will be re-broadcast at 2:00 pm on WRAL-TV’s website: http://wraltv.com


Another Female In Military In North Carolina Missing*UPDATE*

July 11, 2008

What is it, open season on female military personnel in North Carolina?  After Cesar Laurean murdered Maria Lauterbach and Christina Laurean helped him escape, you’d think that would be enough, but noooo. 

Next comes some nut job claiming to be a serial killer who murders another pregnant marine, Megan Touma.  Megan was found dead in a hotel room after failing to report to her unit.  Now mind you, the people at Fort Bragg did not immediately go looking for her.  She had been missing for nine days before being found…..by a maintenance worker at the hotel she was staying at!   She was not declared AWOL by her unit commanders at Bragg.  Because, for some strange reason, each unit commander has the discretion of when to declare a soldier AWOL!  How bout that?  In the military, the most regimented place you can be, (pun intended) and they have no set rules about when to declare someone AWOL.  By declaring her AWOL they would have begun the paperwork,  therefore allowing both military and civil authorities to search for her.  That might have been the difference between life and death for Megan Touma.  There had only been a “Do Not Disturb” sign on her door for four days when she was found.  She might have been found alive if they had looked for her.

One more little side note here: The killer wrote a letter to the police admitting to her killing.  They have a “person of interest”, but have not put that person in custody.  Wanna know what they said about him?  “He’s not considered a flight risk.  And anyway, if he runs, we’ll just go pick him up.”  Um….WTF did they say?  Is there an echo in here?  Didn’t they say the same thing about our old friend Cesar Laurean?  And they STILL haven’t gone to pick HIM up!  My advice for them is this:  GET THE MAN IN CUSTODY NOW BEFORE YOU LOSE ANOTHER ONE.  Everyone is a flight risk when it comes to a murder charge.

 

NOW we have a third military female missing, Holly Lynn Wimunc, an army officer working as a nurse at Fort Bragg.  The apartment she shared with her husband had been set on fire but had burned itself out before anyone noticed it.  (I am stunned at this.  I wish MY house fire had burned itself out before anyone noticed it!)   Holly Lynn had filed for an order of protection against her husband, John Patrick Wimunc a marine from Fort Bragg, on May 17th, 2008 stating that he had thrown her around their apartment, thrown her to the floor, choked her, held a loaded 9mm to her head and threatened to kill her, then held it to his own head and threatened to kill himself.  Holly Lynn failed to show up at her job so people from her unit came to check on her.  I guess the folks at Bragg have learned something from the first two.  STOP WAITING FOR WEEKS BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING!

 Someone needs to send a battalion of psychiatrists down to Fort Bragg and make everyone take a mental physical.

 

 

UPDATE

Holley Lynn Wimunc’s charred remains were found in a shallow grave near Sneads Ferry, NC on Sunday July 13, 2008.  Her husband John P. Wimunc has been charged with her murder and another marine has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder in connection with her death.  They are both charged with arson as well.  Both are in custody at this time.