KILLEEN, Texas – When Fort Hood officials held a press conference about the death of Pvt. Ana Basalduaruiz in March, they failed to disclose a second death of another female soldier that happened on the same day, according to Military.com.
The news outlet reported that another Fort Hood soldier, Spc. Katerina Weikel, died on March 13 in Killeen. She died a day after her 29th birthday.
Military.com was the first to report on Weikel’s death based on an obituary by a Killeen funeral home and a family statement in the Times Hudson Valley, posted later that month. Her funeral was held on March 23.
Fort Hood officials told KSAT on Thursday that they release information about a soldier’s death on a “case-by-case basis.” Weikel died off-post and her cause of death has not been released.
CID spokesman Jeffrey Castro said the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division and the Killeen Police Department are investigating the incident and no other information will be released at this time.
Castro provided the following statement:
In the case of a soldier death on Fort Hood, officials determine when or how to release information on a case-by-case basis. Considerations include, first and foremost, providing the families space to grieve, any announcement often triggers media queries to the family members; completion of official next-of-kin notification (any public announcement of a death should occur after official notification of next-of-kin. Depending on the circumstances, this notification process may take days); protecting the privacy of grieving families and making sure they have resources available to assist with the passing of a loved one; assuring that friends (often other soldiers) have resources available to properly grieve as well; or other sensitivities regarding the nature of the death.
It is important to protect the family members, especially when circumstances of the death are sensitive, to demonstrate compassion and empathy for a grieving family.
According to her obituary, Weikel was born in New York and joined the Army in November 2019 after attending college for a short time.
She was assigned to the 64th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion and 89th Military Police Brigade, officials said. She previously received the National Defense Service Medal.
She was married with three children and enjoyed hiking, playing video games and spending time with her children, her obituary states.
Her family said she “passed away all too soon” and “was loved by everyone whose life she touched in her days on Earth.”
She died on the same day as Basalduaruiz, 21, who reportedly complained about sexual harassment at the post.
Fort Hood said there was no foul play evident in her death, but it is under investigation. Her cause of death was not released.
Basalduaruiz was a combat engineer and had served the division for 15 months.
Basalduaruiz’s family told ABC News that they spoke to her every day and she reported sexual harassment at the installation. Her family said they had offered to pick her up after learning about the harassment.
Their deaths came nearly three years after the murder of Army specialist Vanessa Guillen, who was stationed at Fort Hood.
Guillen, 20, was last seen on April 22, 2020, in a parking lot at Fort Hood. She was killed by fellow soldier Aaron David Robinson, and her remains were found months later, Army officials have said.
Robinson killed himself when authorities tried to arrest him. Another suspect in the case, Cecily Aguilar, has pleaded guilty to one count of accessory to murder after the fact and three counts of false statement or representation, federal officials said.
Guillen’s family said she also reported sexual harassment at Fort Hood before her death.
In 2021, an investigation by the U.S. Army revealed that Guillen was sexually harassed by a supervisor but that leaders did not act accordingly.
Read also: