Police in Fayetteville, N.C., are investigating the death of a pregnant woman who was found dead in a Fayetteville hotel room earlier this month. A person of interest is being held in connection with Megan's death, and police are continuing to investigate a letter that was sent to a local newspaper in which the author claimed responsibility for Megan's death and used symbols associated with the author's so-called mentor, the Zodiac Killer.
On the morning of June 21, a maintenance supervisor at the Fairfield Inn called police after he smelled a strange odor coming from room 143. When officers from the Fayetteville Police Department arrived on the scene, motel employees told them that a "Do Not Disturb" sign had been hanging on the door since June 17. When officers entered the room they were struck by the strong odor of decomposition. They traced the source of the odor to a bathroom inside the room, where they found a young woman's body in the bathtub.
Investigators identified the victim as 23-year-old Megan Lynn Touma, an Army Specialist who had reported to Fort Bragg on Thursday, June 12. Megan had reportedly been staying at the motel while waiting to get into an on-post housing residence.
The state medical examiner's office has yet to comment on how Megan died; however, investigators have said they suspect she was dead for at least two days before her body was found. At the time of her death, Megan was seven months pregnant.
According to Fort Bragg spokesman Tom McCollum, Megan last reported for duty on Thursday, June 12. During a news conference last week, McCollum said that Megan had not been reported AWOL and that the Army was conducting an internal investigation to determine how her absence was overlooked.
The first lead in the case came on June 24, when The Fayetteville Observer received a letter from a person claiming responsibility for Megan's death.
"To whom it may concern," read the letter, which was dated June 17. "The following is to inform that I am responsible for the dead body that was found on Saturday, June 21 @ 1130 in room 143 at Fairfield INN by Marriott off Skibo RD. It was a master piece. I confess, that I have killed many times before in several states, but now I will start using my role-model's signature. There will be many more to come.
"Fayetteville law enforcement are very incompetent. I basically sat there and watch while investigators were on site." [sic throughout].
The letter, which appears to have been composed on a typewriter, also contained a symbol with a circle and cross, the same symbol used by the Zodiac Killer, an unknown serial killer who claimed responsibility for five murders in California in 1968 and 1969.
According to The Fayetteville Observer, the symbol was also found drawn in lipstick on a mirror in Megan's motel room.
Fayetteville Police Lt. David Sportsman believes the letter was written purposely to mislead investigators.
"There is absolutely no reason to believe there have been any other killings or that any other killings have occurred related to this so-called confession," Lt. Sportsman told The Fayetteville Observer.
Before transferring to Fort Bragg, Megan, a dental specialist, had been assigned to an Army dental clinic in Bamberg, Germany. Officials say she had been in the Army since July 2003. Megan's awards and decorations included the Army Service Ribbon, the National Defense Service Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Army Achievement Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Officials at Fort Bragg said Megan was not married; however, she was engaged. Her fiancé is allegedly a solider at Fort Bragg. It remains unclear whether her fiancé was the father of her unborn child. Megan also had an ex-husband who reportedly lives in South Carolina.
On Friday, a private memorial service was held for Megan at Fort Bragg, where a letter from her family was read aloud:
"Megan was a young, vibrant, fun-loving young lady. She loved the military," the letter read. "We are saddened by the fact that you didn't get the chance to get to know her and experience her enthusiasm for life and the military. We are very, very proud of her and her accomplishments, both civilian and military, and we are profoundly saddened by the fact that we won't ever get to know our first grandchild. There are no words I can think of right now to express our sorrow, but we take comfort in the fact that she is with God and her baby, in peace forever."
On Saturday, investigators announced that they were holding a Fort Bragg soldier as a "person of interest" (POI) in the case. During an interview with The Associated Press, Lt. Col. John Clearwater, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, declined to reveal the identity of the POI; however, he did say that the POI was a soldier in training at the special operations school, where they study psychological operations
According to Fayetteville police, they carried out a search warrant on a property on Saturday; however, they will not comment on the location or what if anything they found there. They also refuse to comment on whether there are any links between the POI and the author of the Zodiac-style letter.
The investigation continues…
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Fayetteville Police Department at 910-433-1856.