FT. BRAGG: PREGNANT MEGAN TOUMA DEAD IN HOTEL TUB

Photo of Megan Touma posted on LOCAL12.COM
Army Specialist Megan Lynn Touma, 23, grew up as Megan Heine in Cold Spring, Ky. She was was found in tub at the Fairfield Inn on Morganton Road, Room 143. Touma, a dental specialist recently arrived in the United States after spending three years in Bamberg, Germany at an Army dental clinic. She was staying in the motel until proper military housing was found for her for her assignment with the 19th Replacement Company at Fort Bragg, N.C.

Officials say the 24-year-old was dead when they found her Sunday at the Fairfield Inn on Morganton Road.

The Fairfield Inn is close to Ft. Bragg/Pope AFB, and located inside the Fayetteville shopping and restaurant district. Relax with a splash in their refreshing swimming pool. At Fairfield Inn, you can always count on a friendly welcome at an affordable price.

Ex-Husband: Army Said Pregnant Soldier Found Dead in Hotel Was AWOL
AP / Thursday, June 26, 2008

A pregnant soldier was declared AWOL after failing to report back to the Army because she was dead, her ex-husband said on Wednesday.

The body of Spc. Megan Lynn Touma, 23, was identified Tuesday, three days after being found decomposing in a bathtub at the Fairfield Inn in Fayetteville, N.C., over the weekend. Police called the death suspicious but released few other details.

• Click here to read Jonathan Serrie's on-the-scene blog.

Touma's ex-husband, El Sayed Touma, who lives in Charleston, S.C., told FOX affiliate WRAL that the Army failed to check on her before considering her absent without leave.

"She was left in the room for two days, and the Army said she was AWOL. They didn't even bother to go check on her in the motel where she stayed. I mean the Army knows that she stayed in that hotel," El Sayed Touma said.

The two met at Fort Drum, N.Y., when both were stationed there. They were married for three years but divorced when the stress of living in separate countries became too much for them, WRAL reported.

Meanwhile, Fort Bragg officials said Wednesday they were investigating why Megan Lynn Touma wasn't reported missing after she was absent from a formation.

(snip)

Touma is the second pregnant service member to die under suspicious circumstances in North Carolina in recent months. Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach was reported missing and later found dead near Camp Lejeune in January. A fellow Marine, Cpl. Cesar Laurean, has been charged in her death and is awaiting extradition from Mexico.

WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF THIS HAPPENING TWICE?
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,371945,00.html

CHOMP LOOKS AT SOME CRIME SCENE DETAILS. LOOKS LIKE INVESTIGATORS HAVE FOUND IMPORTANT CLUES!

The bed in Touma’s room had been pushed slightly away from the wall, and both the lamp and nightstand were out of place.

No hotel employees had entered the room since June 17 because there was a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door.

According to check-in information Touma was supposed to check out by 11:25 a.m. June 21.

Hotel assistant maintenance supervisor Jim Cameron found the body.

The search warrant showed that authorities found a set of keys with an Enterprise Rent-A-Car key ring on the dresser in the room. A 2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer registered to Enterprise was parked outside the hotel room.

El Sayed Touma, Megan's ex-husband, says he is not the father of Megan's baby. Touma is an Egyptian native who served in the U.S military, and now lives in Charleston, N.C.