Fort Hood officials are investigating the death of Private Second Class Ana Basalduaruiz, whose family said she complained to them about sexual harassment by one of her fellow soldiers.
The 21-year-old served for 15 months as a combat engineer at Fort Hood, the same Texas base where Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen was killed in 2020. Guillen’s death launched a sweeping probe into sexual misconduct at Fort Hood.
“The army criminal investigation division and the chain of command are actively investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding [Basalduaruiz’s] death,” the base told ABC News in a statement.
Just like Basalduaruiz, Guillen too complained of sexual harassment by another soldier. Guillen was later murdered by another soldier who killed himself when being pursued by police.
Guillen’s mother, Gloria, described these complaints in a 2021 interview with ABC News.
“[She said,] ‘I’m being sexually harassed by a sergeant.’ I said, ‘Honey, that can’t be, honey. To that extent?’ She said, ‘Yes mami,’ and tears ran down like this,” she told ABC News in Spanish.
A scathing report released more than a year after her death confirmed that Guillen had been sexually harassed by a superior. The nearly 300-page document reported that leaders in her unit did not take appropriate action after she reported the sexual harassment to her supervisor on two separate occasions.
Guillen’s sister, Mayra, spoke to ABC News’ Stephanie Ramos after the report’s release.
“It’s sad how after over a year, they finally accepted that we were saying the truth and nothing but the truth from the very beginning,” Mayra said.
Mayra also reacted to Basalduaruiz’s death on Twitter Wednesday night, saying in part, “This is also very triggering for me … I will be speaking to the family soon.”
Source: abc13
