(CNN Spanish) - María Martínez, mother of a soldier who was killed is investigated as a murder in May in North Carolina, says that the last time she spoke to her son was on May 10. The woman told Univision that she contacted her to wish her "Happy Mother's Day." "'I love you mommy' and I said 'me too,'" he said of the talk.
Weeks later, on May 29, the partial remains of Enrique Román Martínez, a 21-year-old United States Army paratrooper, were found on Schackleford Banks Island, in Cape Lookout National Seashore National Park, according to the US Army. .
Román Martínez, a native of California, was part of the paratrooper corps at the Fort Bragg base in North Carolina.
Authorities describe the event as a homicide and informed that they will not reveal more details because it is an ongoing investigation. However, a reward of $ 25,000 is offered to anyone who provides information to find those responsible for the soldier's death.
As her sister, Griselda Martínez, told Univision, the soldier and a group of friends decided to camp in the national park during a festive weekend. Martínez says that her brother's friends claim that at one point she separated from the group and they do not know what happened to her. The US Army Criminal Investigation Command reported that the paratrooper was last seen on May 22. His wallet and cell phone were found in the area where the group camped, according to the authorities' report.
Román Martínez's mother and sister traveled from California to collaborate in the search for the young man, but were unsuccessful. “They promised me that they would take care of my son and they have not done it, nor did they do it. I gave them to him alive and now they are giving him to me dead, ”said the soldier's mother.
CNN contacted the Fort Bragg base press office to learn about the progress of the investigations and is awaiting a response.
Lt. Col. Scotty Autin, a battalion commander at the base, said in a statement to CNN affiliate ABC11 that "everyone feels the tragedy of their loss." On his Twitter account, Autin said he was in contact with Román Martínez's family to organize a tribute to the soldier.
Román Martínez's death came weeks after soldier Vanessa Guillén, also a Hispanic, was beaten to death at the Fort Hood base in Texas, according to local authorities.
