The first woman in Tennessee to enlist as a combat engineer in the Army went AWOL according to a military spokesperson. 
 
 Local 8 News was first to tell you about Erika Lopez back in July of 2015. She made headlines when she enlisted for a job that could involve fighting on the front lines. 
 
 The U.S. Army had just lifted its ban on women in combat roles when she walked into a recruiting office in Knoxville and decided to enlist as a combat engineer. 
 
 Lopez was in basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. An Army spokesperson tells Local 8 News that Private Lopez was scheduled to return from convalescent leave on January 4th. She was reported absent without leave (AWOL) on January 5th after she failed to return. 
 
 Spokesperson Tiffany Wood issued a statement saying, "After 30 days in an AWOL status, a Soldier is considered a deserter and a 
 
 federal warrant is issued for his or her arrest. " 
 
 Wood says once Private Erika Lopez is arrested she'll be taken to the nearest military installment and handed over to military police. 
 
 Wood released the following statement about attempts to contact Lopez. She said, "We are always concerned for the welfare of our soldiers. Pvt. Erika Lopez's unit has tried multiple times to determine her whereabouts and make contact with her, however all attempts have been unsuccessful. If anyone has any 
 
 information on the whereabouts of Pvt. Erika Lopez, please contact local authorities." 
 
 Back in July of 2015, Lopez told us she knew her decision was unique. "It makes me feel really excited that no woman has ever done it before." 
 
 She left her husband and two children in September of 2015 for basic training where she was learning to build bridges, detonate artillery, and detect roadside bombs under combat conditions. She said, "You make sacrifices your whole life for your children and for your family, this will be a sacrifice... Women can do anything they set their mind to just as well as men I don't really see any difference at all. I hope women will want to join." 
 
 The following video is the previous story: ||||| One of the first women to register as an Army combat engineer is under investigation after she disappeared from her post for a month and was designated a deserter. 
 
 Pvt. Erika Lopez turned herself into authorities Thursday night, the same day she was officially classified as a deserter, the Army Times reported. The Army has not yet publicly identified a reason for her absence. 
 
 Lopez, married with two children, was the first woman to register as an Army combat engineer in Tennessee and the fourth to register in the nation, according to The Washington Times. Overall, more than 150 female soldiers have shipped to training since the combat engineer position was opened to women in June, and almost as many are waiting to start training, according to The Army Times. 
 
 Lopez was supposed to report to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri on Jan. 4 after convalescent leave, but failed to show up. Lopez was first considered absent without leave on Jan. 5 and was dropped from the rolls Thursday, earning her deserter status. 
 
 “After 30 days in AWOL status, a soldier is considered a deserter, and a federal warrant is issued for his or her arrest,” a spokeswoman for Fort Leonard Wood said in a statement to the Army Times. 
 
 Lopez initially arrived at Fort Leonard Wood on Sept. 22, began training on Oct. 5 and was on week 11 when she was sent home on convalescent leave, the spokeswoman said. The complete training is almost 15 weeks long, according to the Army Times. 
 
 “Pvt. Lopez’s unit will look at all the facts and circumstances surrounding the situation and take appropriate action,” the spokeswoman said. 
 
 Lopez appeared excited for the endeavor in an interview with WVLT before shipping out. 
 
 “You make sacrifices your whole life for your children and for your family; this will be a sacrifice,” she said in July. “Women can do anything they set their mind to just as well as men. I don’t really see any difference at all. I hope women will want to join.”
– The Army is investigating one of the first women to sign up as an Army combat engineer after she went AWOL last fall, Fox News reports. Pvt. Erika Lopez, who is married and has two kids, was the nation's fourth woman to register as an Army combat engineer. She showed up at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri on Sept. 22 and started training about two weeks later, but went home on convalescent leave on week 11 and didn't return on Oct. 5 as expected. "After 30 days in AWOL status, a soldier is considered a deserter, and a federal warrant is issued for his or her arrest," a Fort Leonard Wood spokesman tells the Army Times. Lopez turned herself in on Thursday night. But she was enthusiastic after enrolling this summer and becoming one of over 150 women soldiers to start training since the Army position opened up to women in June. "You make sacrifices your whole life for your children and for your family; this will be a sacrifice," she said at the time, per WVLT. "Women can do anything they set their mind to just as well as men. I don’t really see any difference at all. I hope women will want to join."