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Mexican Officials Issue Warrant For Missing Marine

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Jan 29, 2008 7:45 am US/Pacific

Mexican Officials Issue Warrant For Missing Marine

CBS News Interactive: Crime Beat

MEXICO CITY (CBS) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 3: Cesar Armando Laurean headshot, U.S. Marine wanted in connection with disappearance of Maria Frances Lauterbach.
AP
Click to enlarge 2 of 3: Lance Cpl. Maria Frances Lauterbach, 20, vanished days after she talked to military prosecutors about a rape case against Marine Cpl. Cesar Armando Laurean.
Onslow County Sheriff's Department/CBS
Click to enlarge 3 of 3: Maria Frances Lauterbach, slain pregnant Marine, undated Onslow County Sheriff's Office
AP

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CBS News Interactive: Crime Beat

Mexican officials have issued an arrest warrant for a U.S. Marine suspected of killing a pregnant colleague, a U.S. Embassy official says.

The announcement came after prosecutors in North Carolina pledged to not seek the death penalty for Cesar Armando Laurean, who faces 1st degree murder charges in the death of pregnant colleague Maria Lauterbach.

Onlsow County District Attorney Dewey Olson said he would not seek the death penalty against Laurean only if he is captured in Mexico. That deal was made after Mexican authorities said they wouldn't extradite Laurean, if caught there, if he could face the death penalty.

At least one relative told reporters last week that Cpl. Laurean visited family members in the area of Guadalajara, Mexico, this month, but left without saying where he was headed.

A U.S. Embassy official, who was not authorized to give a name and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mexican officials had issued a warrant for Laurean's arrest for extradition.

20-year-old Lauterbach had once accused Laurean of rape.

The burned remains of Lauterbach and her unborn child were found in Laurean's back yard. She was eight months pregnant when she disappeared in mid December.

Before Laurean disappeared, he left his wife a note which claimed that Lauterbach slit her own throat. He claimed in the note that he buried her nearby.

An autopsy revealed Lauterbach died of blunt trauma to the head.