The US Army's fourth-ever woman to serve in a combat position turned herself in to military authorities Thursday night after going AWOL for a whole month and gaining deserter status.

Erika Lopez 'turned herself in to proper military authorities' on the night after she was dropped from the rolls and considered a deserter, a military spokeswoman told Daily Mail Online.

'We will look at the facts and circumstances surrounding the situation and take appropriate action,' said Tiffany Wood, spokesperson for Fort Leonard Wood where Lopez is based.

Lopez was in her 11th week of training when she was sent home for convalescent leave in December. She was supposed to return to base on January 4.

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Erika Lopez enlisted in the Army last year and went missing in January. She turned herself in on Thursday

Erika Lopez during her swearing-in ceremony last year. She returned Thursday after going AWOL for a month

Lopez enlisted in the Army last year as a combat engineer and started basic training in October, according to the Army Times.

Lopez was scheduled to return from convalescent leave to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri on January 4 but went under the radar.

On Thursday, 30 days after she went missing, she was dropped from the rolls and considered a deserter.

'After 30 days in AWOL status, a soldier is considered a deserter, and a federal warrant is issued for his or her arrest,' Wood told the Army Times on Thursday.

Lopez was the fourth ever woman, and the first woman from her home state of Tennessee, to enlist in the military in a combat role, WVLT reported.

Combat engineers duties include constructing bridges and fighting positions, handling explosives, and clearing paths for soldiers in combat zones, according to an Army website.

Women gained access to serve in combat positions after a ban was lifted in 2013.

'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,' Lopez told WVLT in July.

Lopez is from Knoxville, Tennessee and is married with two children, the station reported.