It's been 11 days since the lifeless body of Latina soldier Ana Basaldua Ruiz was found in a maintenance yard at the Ford Hood military base, Texas, where she served as a combat engineer for the First Cavalry Division.
The Army has preliminarily reported that Basaldua committed suicide and that so far there is no evidence to indicate that her death was due to criminal activity.
However, its Criminal Investigation Division (CID) is still investigating the case.
This is what we know so far about the investigation and the official acts that the Army plans to remember Private Basaldua in the coming days:
đźź© Private ceremony in his honor
The family plans to hold the funeral service for the deceased soldier in Long Beach, California, where her father, Baldo Basaldua, lives, though they have not released the date.
On her part, the unit in which the young woman served will hold a memorial service for her on April 6, to which she invited her family.
Activity inside Fort Hood will not be open to the public "to protect the privacy of bereaved family and friends," said 1st Cavalry Division spokeswoman Lt. Col. Jennifer Bocanegra.
The soldier's mother, Alejandra Ruiz Zarco, who lives in Mexico, confirmed to Noticias Telemundo that she will attend the event.
đźź© What is known about the autopsy?
The examination of Basaldua's body is in charge of the forensic doctor of the Armed Forces.
Once completed, the report will go to the Army's Criminal Investigation Division and will be included in the investigation file, CID spokesperson Ronna Weyland told Noticias Telemundo.
Gen. Sean C. Bernabe, the commander of Fort Hood, said last week that the CID "does not want to assume anything or rule out anything about their investigation."
Latina soldier Ana Basaldua Ruiz was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, for 15 months.
family courtesy
đźź© Is the FBI involved in the investigation?
The Criminal Investigation Division of the Army informed Telemundo News on Thursday that so far no external investigative agency is involved in the investigations.
"At this time, there are no other agencies involved ... At this point in the investigation no additional investigative requirements from outside entities have been identified," Ronna Weyland said.
"The CID of the Army will continue to carry out an exhaustive and independent investigation into the death of soldier Basaldua Ruiz and the circumstances surrounding it," he said.
On March 16, the League of United Latino American Citizens (LULAC) demanded that the FBI investigate Basaldua's death, after her family and friends revealed that she told them she suffered a case of alleged sexual harassment at the military base.
đźź© When could the family receive a full report on the young woman's death?
The Army Criminal Investigation Division has not given a deadline for the autopsy results to be released.
"There is no set timeline as to when the family will receive a full report. However, CID special agents remain in contact with the family of Ana Basaldua Ruiz and provide releaseable information as it becomes available. The CID investigation is still ongoing. course," Weyland said.
On March 15, the father of the deceased soldier, Baldo Basaldua, told Noticias Telemundo that the officers who informed him of his daughter's death told him that the autopsy could take up to 7 days.
Although he would spend "more time" before having the final report.
đźź© The painful trip to the United States
Ana Basaldua's mother, Alejandra Ruiz Zarco, told Telemundo News that she plans to travel from Morelia, Mexico to Los Angeles, California this Sunday afternoon, March 26.
She will be accompanied by her youngest daughter, Natalie, 19, who is a US citizen.
Ruiz Zarco said that the United States consulate in Mexico City approved a humanitarian visa for three months, which he picked up this Friday.
The US consulate denied a visa to a sister of Ruiz Zarco and her husband, who planned to accompany her, claiming that the humanitarian permit is only for direct relatives of the deceased soldier.
"We are saddened by his death," says the high command of the military base where a Latina soldier died
March 17, 202302:43
đźź© A death that recalls the problem of sexual harassment in the Army
The death of Ana Basaldua at Fort Hood, where she served for 15 months since December 2021, once again targeted the Texan military base, where a long list of deaths and violent acts have been recorded in recent years, including which especially highlights the murder of the soldier Vanessa Guillén in 2020, which uncovered a scandal about sexual harassment and abuse in the Armed Forces.
During a hearing this Thursday in a committee of the House of Representatives of Texas, in which a
bill that would designate September 30 as Vanessa Guillén Day
is discussed , several witnesses who testified in favor of the initiative said that the The death of Ana Basaldua is evidence that sexual harassment and assault in the armed forces continue to be a problem that needs urgent attention.
[The last days of the soldier Ana Basaldua in Fort Hood: harassment, disciplinary measures, sadness and “everything possible to be able to leave”]
"Now we see on the news that another young woman has lost her life as a result of something that happened. It's a trigger, because it's still happening and something has to be done," said Dr. Lashondra Jones, a Navy veteran who works with various support groups for women veterans of the armed forces.
The project to designate the day of Vanessa Guillén, presented by Democratic representative Josey Garcia, advanced yesterday in the Texas House with a vote of 8-0.
* The journalist
Edgar Muñoz
contributed to this article
.