WASHINGTON — Rep. Mike Turner said the Marines have yet to persuade him that they did everything they could to protect Lt. Cpl. Maria Lauterbach after she accused fellow Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean of sexually assaulting her last May.

Lauterbach, 20, and the body of her unborn child were found buried in Laurean's backyard on Jan. 11. Laurean has since disappeared, and police have issued multiple warrants for his arrest in connection with the case.

Turner, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, on Tuesday, March 11, sent a five-page letter to James T. Conway, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, asking Conway to address a series of questions about Lauterbach's mid-December death near Camp Lejeune, N.C. Turner said he is sending the letter at the behest of Lauterbach's family, who still have lingering questions about her death.

"Maria was murdered," Turner said. "And it is not evident that the Marines took any precautions to protect her."

Turner, R-Centerville, said he has spoken twice to Marine Gen. Michael Regner in the past two weeks about the case. In his letter, he said Regner assured him that the Marine Corps determined that "appropriate procedures have been followed and that the 'matter was concluded.' "

"I disagree," Turner wrote.

Lt. Col. Curtis Hill, the public affairs officer for the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, said in an e-mail that the Onslow County Sheriff is leading the homicide investigation. The FBI is leading the investigation to locate and apprehend Laurean, who disappeared just before Lauterbach and her unborn baby were found buried in his backyard. He is believed to be in Mexico, and government authorities have offered up to $30,000 for information leading to his arrest.

Among the questions Turner wants the Marines to answer:

• What was done to protect Lauterbach, a Vandalia native?

• Though Lauterbach was assigned to a different building on the base after accusing Laurean of rape, would Lauterbach and Laurean still have had contact during unit assemblies? Would she have had regular contact with Marines who were friends of Laurean?

• Was Laurean subject to a "gag order" or was he free to discuss the rape accusation with fellow Marines in his unit?

• Why wasn't a DNA sample taken from Laurean after Lauterbach accused him of rape? Did he refuse to give a DNA sample? Did the Marines ask for a DNA sample?

• Given the rape accusation, why was there no attempt to search for Lauterbach when she did not report for duty on Dec. 17?

Turner also asked if Lauterbach reported an incident that occurred in the late summer or early fall, when an unidentified Marine came up behind Lauterbach, called her name, and punched her in the face when she turned.

Turner asked whether she should have received extra protection after this incident because of the pending rape allegation.

He said his questions go to the issue of whether Lauterbach's rape allegation "wasn't taken with the same level of concern that was obviously warranted."

He also questioned why Laurean's wife, Christina Laurean, was put on active duty status with the Marines after the incident. A spokesman for the Onslow County Sheriff's Department classified her as a "cooperating witness" in the investigation.

Turner said the questions posed in his letter were "straightforward" and "do not affect the status of the ongoing criminal investigations."

He said he was mystified by a Jan. 15 Marine statement describing Laurean as a "stellar" Marine. Lauterbach's body had been found four days before they made that statement.

"I don't believe you can be a stellar Marine and have another body buried in your backyard," he said.