Female Fort Hood Soldier Found Dead After Confessing to Family About Sexual Harassment

Last week, a US Army soldier at Fort Hood who informed her family she was sexually harassed was discovered dead, sparking fresh outrage for justice on the large military station, which has a history of high sexual assault rates.

Ana Basaldua Ruiz, a soldier from Long Beach, California, has served as a combat engineer with the 1st Cavalry Division for 15 months after joining the Army in 2021. Fort Hood officials reported that she passed away on March 13, but they have not disclosed the cause or method of her passing.

Another Fort Hood Soldier, Who Reported Sexual Assault, Found Dead

Per NY Times, Fort Hood issued a statement on Thursday confirming the Department of the Army Criminal Investigative Division's conclusion that "no foul play is apparent."

Alejandra Ruiz Zarco, the mother of Private Basaldua, said that her daughter told her a few weeks ago that an Army superior was "harassing" her and that she had been the subject of numerous sexual approaches on the base. The last time Ruiz, who resides in Mexico, communicated with her daughter was on March 8.

Ruiz said in Spanish that Private Basaldua told her mother that she was "very sad, that she was going through very difficult things, that things were not as normal as she thought, that she couldn't tell me much, but that there would be a time when we would be together, and she could tell me everything."

Baldo Basaldua, the California-based father of Private Basaldua, said that his daughter had informed him that "her entire existence was bad and that she wanted to die."

League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) officials called for the FBI to investigate Private Basaldua's death at a news conference outside Fort Hood on Friday, stating that it was crucial that investigators from outside the military probe the facts.

During an emotional interview, the parents of Basalduaruiz said that Fort Hood officials informed them that their daughter had committed suicide. The grieving mother claimed that during this discussion, her daughter strongly desired to see and embrace her.

Basalduaruiz, a naturalized US citizen of Mexican descent, entered the Army in 2020, but her military training was delayed a year due to COVID-19. Her father, Baldo Basaldua of California, said she was expected to conclude her contract with the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood in August.

The last time the father communicated with his daughter was last Saturday. She subsequently ceased replying to his texts, and by Monday, his daughter's phone was no longer receiving his messages.

Vanessa Guillen Death

Lucy Del Gaudio, an advocate for women in the military serving as a spokesman for Basalduaruiz's family, told CBS News that the Army has "stonewalled" their queries over the alleged sexual harassment of the young soldier.

Balsaduaruiz's killing occurred less than three years after the murder of 20-year-old soldier Vanessa Guillen, who, like Balsaduaruiz, had reported unwelcome sexual approaches at Fort Hood.

In April 2020, Guillen was killed with a hammer, mutilated, and buried in a shallow grave. In June of that year, her alleged killer, 20-year-old Spc. Aaron Robinson shot himself as police attempted to apprehend him, according to NY Post. The murder of Guillen ignited a social media movement that ultimately resulted in the disciplinary action of 21 officers and non-commissioned officers at the problematic installation.

An independent review panel investigating more than two dozen soldier fatalities at Fort Hood in 2020 alone determined that the military installation's officials were not adequately addressing sexual assault and harassment, drug abuse, and other personnel-related issues.

The examination also revealed that the Army's Criminal Investigation Division - the same organization that said there was no foul play in Balsaduaruiz's death - was underfunded, overworked, and comprised of inexperienced investigators. As a result, calls on social media to close Fort Hood have increased. According to the military post, the Army Criminal Investigation Division and the chain of command investigate Ruiz's death.