Funeral services for Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach took place Saturday at the St. Christopher Catholic Church near Dayton in North Carolina. Next to her coffin there was another small silver casket bearing Lauterbach's unborn child, who she had named Gabriel.

"We remember her athleticism and her competitive spirit. We remember that she wanted to serve her country as a Marine," said Rev. Francis Keferl.

Elise Wahle, youth ministry coordinator at St. Christopher, also read a statement from both the church and the Marine's family. The message thanked the community and the nation for the outpouring of prayers and support.

Investigators in the case of Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, declared missing by her mother on December 15, discovered the remains of an adult and a fetus in a shallow grave in the backyard of the primary suspect in the death of the 20-year-old girl. Authorities charged Marine Cesar Armando Laurean, 21, of Nevada with killing Lauterbach around December 14.

Lauterbach, of Dayton, disappeared when she was eight months pregnant, on December 14 from the Camp Lejeune Base, not long before she was to testify at a military hearing about her rape accusation against Laurean. Laurean was not taken into custody after the girl reported the rape because there was information the two carried on "some sort of friendly relationship" after she filed the complaint against him.

A note left by Laurean and addressed to his wife Christina said that the girl killed herself and that he only buried her, but evidence inside his house supports the contrary. Brown said "the blood splatters were even up into the ceiling."

A provisional warrant was issued which authorizes Mexican police to follow leads and to arrest the 21-year-old Laurean who was spotted there in January. Laurean was reportedly planning to run to Mexico if he were to be found guilty of rape, but no one expected him to go as far as killing the girl and her unborn child. According to his cousin, his family in Mexico was very shocked upon finding the news, but the suspect did not visit them.