By Xinhua
Beijing : A U.S. marine suspected of brutally slaying his pregnant colleague who had accused him of rape was arrested Thursday night in Mexico, according to media reports.
Magdalena Guzman, a spokeswoman for Michoacan, Mexico, state prosecutors office, said Marine Corporal Cesar Laurean was detained by Mexican police on a street in the small town of Tacambaro, Michoacan, around 7 p.m. EDT Thursday.
Laurean, 21, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach, 20, who was eight months pregnant.
The international manhunt for Laurean a U.S. Marine wanted escalated in January with a 25,000 U.S. dollar reward for information leading to his capture.
The case broke open when Corporal Laurean’s wife, Christina, reported finding a note written by her husband saying that Corporal Lauterbach had committed suicide and that he had buried her. Authorities recovered what they believe to be the burned remains of Lauterbach and her unborn child from a fire pit in Laurean’s backyard over the weekend.
Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown said evidence shows Lauterbach, who was eight months pregnant at the time of her disappearance, was killed on or about Dec. 15, four days before she was reported missing to local law enforcement authorities.
The FBI said Laurean now is awaiting extradition to the U.S.