NORFOLK, Va. — A private memorial service will be held Tuesday for U.S. Navy sailor Angelina Resendiz, according to a spokesperson for her mother.
Resendiz, 21, was reported missing in late May. Her disappearance triggered growing concern after she vanished from her barracks at Naval Station Norfolk. Nearly two weeks later, her body was found in a wooded area near Richard Bowling Elementary School, several miles away in the city’s Broad Creek neighborhood.
The young culinary specialist, assigned to the USS James E. Williams, was last seen on May 29 at Miller Hall on base. However, a critically missing adult alert wasn’t issued by Virginia State Police on behalf of NCIS until June 3.
By June 9, investigators had located her body. NCIS later confirmed that another sailor from the same ship is in pretrial confinement. No charges or suspect information have been publicly released.
In the weeks since her death, Resendiz’s mother, Esmeralda Castle, along with civil rights group LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens), has accused the Navy of mishandling the investigation from the start. They allege the Navy waited too long to report Resendiz missing, initially labeled her as AWOL, and failed to keep her family informed.
Castle told News 3 that many of the details she learned about her daughter’s disappearance came through the media. At a press conference in June, she described the pain of seeing her daughter’s body in poor condition after it was returned to her, saying it was covered in insects and not properly preserved.
“There is a system in place and it does not work,” Castle said during the conference. “I don't know if it's ever worked, and I don't know if anybody will acknowledge that there is a problem and accept responsibility.”
LULAC leaders are calling for a broader review of how the military handles missing persons cases, especially involving women of color and allegations of sexual harassment within the ranks.
The Navy told News 3 that Tuesday’s memorial will be private and is not open to the media.
