The disappearance and killing of Vanessa Guillén, a U.S. Army specialist stationed in Fort Hood, Texas, in 2020 shook the nation and led to widescale changes in how the military protects victims of sexual violence.
On Saturday, a state highway in her hometown, Houston, will be named after the Mexican American soldier, part of a series of commemorations to honor her legacy.
Family and officials gathered on State Highway 3 in Harris County, between the intersections of Interstate Highway 45 and Almeda Genoa Road, to mark the naming of the Vanessa Guillén Memorial Highway.
The ceremony comes two years after Guillén, 20, was reported missing. She was last seen alive on April 22, 2020. Her disappearance garnered calls for an investigation from Latino civil rights groups and even international celebrities, including the actor Salma Hayek. Rep. Sylvia García, D-Texas, who was helping the Guilléns for months, echoed the importance of keeping the case in the public eye.
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