Hundreds of people, many of them strangers, paid their last respects to murdered pregnant Marine Maria Lauterbach this weekend.
Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown was among the mourners at the funeral in Lauterbach's hometown in Vandalia, Ohio.
And while law enforcement is still looking for Cesar Laurean, the Marine they believe killed Lauterbach, Sheriff Brown went all the way to Ohio looking for something very different.
He says the investigation into Lauterbach’s death has been the most stressful case of his career. In fact, he says it's affected him so deeply that he drove 11 hours to attend Lauterbach’s funeral as part of his search for closure.
But much like the investigators searching for her accused killer, he came up empty.
“It won't go away,” Brown said of the case.
From the moment he learned Lauterbach was dead and buried in Laurean's backyard, Brown says two things have been missing: answers about why this all had to happen, and closure for a young mother-to-be.
And until Laurean is brought to justice, Brown says he probably won't get either one.
What he does have, though, is an everlasting memory of the charred bodies of Maria and her unborn son, the moment investigators pulled them out of a pit in Laurean's backyard.
“I will never forget what I saw there that day,” Brown said. “And it will brand my mind, but it won't stop my life.”
But it could help drive his pursuit of justice for a man accused of a brutal murder.
Brown says he's picking up the tab for trip out of his own pocket.
Authorities still believe Laurean is hiding out in his native Mexico.
If you know anything about where he might be, dial the FBI’s tip-line at (800) CALL-FBI.
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