The family of Latina soldier Ana Basaldua Ruiz, who died at the Fort Hood Texan base in March,
distrusts the Army's investigation
and has decided to seek an independent evaluation of the autopsy conducted by an Armed Forces forensic doctor, according to a report Legal counsel Ryan Guilds told Telemundo News.
"We intend to have the autopsy results reviewed by an independent forensic pathologist," said the lawyer, from the Washington DC-based firm Arnold & Porter, which is offering free advice to the family, in an interview with Noticias Telemundo.
An independent review of the facts "is the only way the family will gain confidence and hopefully peace," Guilds explained, "the Army's past failures do not give the family confidence that the investigation will be complete or transparent."
"That is what the family deserves. And that is what we are going to do," she concluded.
The Army Honor Guard carries Basaldua's casket at the Los Angeles airport.
Courtesy of Honoring Our Fallen
The death of 20-year-old Basaldua, who according to the Army took his own life, once again targeted the base, where a long list of deaths and violent acts have been recorded in recent years, among which stands out due to its national impact, the murder of Vanessa Guillén in 2020, which uncovered a scandal about sexual harassment and abuse in the Armed Forces.
The case of Guillén, 20, revealed multiple failures in the investigation: from agents who were not prepared to the military leadership that underestimated his disappearance for days.
"It is very likely that the toxic culture will persist," said the group Protect Our Defenders, which fights against sexual violence in the Armed Forces. In a statement, it regretted "the permissiveness" of the Army "in the face of sexual assault and harassment that was present at the death of Vanessa Guillén, and may have contributed to this latest (Ana Basaldua) tragedy at Fort Hood."
No full report of the soldier's death
The Army preliminarily reported that Basaldua committed suicide and that so far there is no evidence to indicate that his death was due to criminal activity.
But his family has not received a full report of his death and the circumstances surrounding it.
The Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) continues to investigate "each and every one of the possible circumstances that could have contributed" to the death of the soldier, and assured Telemundo News that it does not have a set deadline to conclude its investigations.
It will also examine "possible crimes that would not normally be within the CID's scope of investigation," according to what its spokesman, Jeffrey Castro, explained on Wednesday.
On the decision of Basaldua's family to seek an independent evaluation of the autopsy, the CID spokesperson noted: "Our deepest condolences to the family of soldier Basaldua Ruiz at this difficult time. The CID remains committed to responding to their questions and conduct a thorough investigation. The family has the right to have the findings of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner's autopsy report reviewed by an independent forensic pathologist, when available."
[Two friends of Private Ana Basaldua say she was harassed at Fort Hood by a sergeant and another soldier before her death]
Guilds, the family's legal counsel, explained that they want to carry out the examination as soon as they receive the results of the autopsy from the Army, although he did not offer details about who will be the forensic pathologist who will be entrusted with the examination.
"Once we have the report it will take a couple of weeks to do the evaluation, assuming we have everything we anticipate getting as part of the autopsy. If we don't, we could be in trouble," he warned.
Basaldua's mother, Alejandra Ruiz, caresses the casket with her father, Baldo Basaldua, on March 30 in Los Angeles.
Courtesy of Honoring Our Fallen
Pressure mounts against Fort Hood
Basaldua was found dead in a Fort Hood maintenance yard on Monday, March 13.
The young woman, an American born in Mexico, served as a combat engineer of the First Cavalry Division at Fort Hood for 15 months, beginning in December 2021.
Friends and relatives have denounced that the young woman suffered sexual harassment since she was assigned to the base.
Two friends, also soldiers, pointed to a sergeant, whose identity they did not reveal, who was helping the soldier during her first months at Fort Hood, and whom Basaldua reported to military commanders, they said.
[The last days of Ana Basaldua in Fort Hood: harassment, disciplinary measures, sadness and “everything possible to be able to leave”]
Pressure has increased in recent days against the military base to ensure a transparent investigation, with calls for an independent analysis of the conditions and culture to which the military is subjected at Fort Hood.
Four senators sent a letter on April 11 to Gen. Sean C. Bernabe, the commander of Fort Hood, asking him to "ensure that the investigation, both of the death and of the sexual harassment he endured before his death, is complete, thorough, and impartial".
Latina soldier Ana Basaldua Ruiz.
family courtesy
The letter, signed by Democrats Kirsten Gillibrand, Mazie Hirono and Elizabeth Warren, and Republican Charles Grassley, accuses Fort Hood of "failing young women" in the Army, saying that "the permissive environment identified years ago It has not been eliminated and has already claimed another victim".
"We hope that Fort Hood will take this case very seriously. We hope that she will provide all necessary resources to ensure justice for Ana and ensure that her death is the last of its kind," the letter reads.
The Protect Our Defenders group also called on the Fort Hood commandant to conduct "an independent investigation" into the commando climate and culture" at the military base.
[The 6 errors in the Vanessa Guillén case: what went wrong in Fort Hood]
Received with honors the body of soldier Ana Basaldua in California
April 1, 202302:24
Noticias Telemundo asked Fort Hood for comments on the claims of the senators, Ana Basaldua's family and independent organizations that are asking to investigate the culture at the military base.
At the time of writing this note, no response had been received.
Family attorney Ryan Guilds said they support an independent investigation: "There is no question that Ana's happiness and mental health were significantly affected by her service at Fort Hood. There is no debate about that."
"For Ana and all of the soldiers to whom we owe service, it is not only appropriate but necessary that there be an independent investigation evaluating the adequacy of Fort Hood's care and treatment of its soldiers and the climate of command," said.
**
This article
was updated on April 20
to include the response from the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) regarding the decision by the family of Ana Basaldua to seek an independent evaluation of the Army's autopsy.
