WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Navy acted in accordance with "current U.S. Law and Navy Regulations and policy" in its response to the disappearance and death of Seaman Angelina Resendiz in late May/early June, according to a letter from Secretary of the Navy John Phelan sent to Texas Rep. Vicente Gonzalez obtained by WTKR News 3.
Questions have been raised by congressional leaders from Texas, where Resendiz was from, and in Virginia, where she was stationed, about the Navy's actions following her disappearance on May 29.
The letter, dated Sept. 2, was sent to Gonzalez's office in response to a July 10 inquiry.
Watch related: Virginia senators demand answers in Resendiz's death
"The Navy mourns the loss of our shipmate," the letter states. "The Navy is committed to examining the circumstances of and organizational response to her absence."
Phelan's letter states that the Navy is looking into four topics related to Resendiz's disappearance and death:
- The response to the initial report of her absence.
- The response when she was "determined to be involuntarily absent and ultimately deceased."
- The transfer of her remains to her mother
- How and why the suspect, who has not been publicly named by the Navy, was transferred to the USS James E. Williams.
More than two months after her death, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner stated that Resendiz's cause and manner of death are undetermined.
Previous coverage: Resendiz cause and manner of death undetermined
Resendiz's mother, Esmeralda Castle, has spoken publicly about the state of her daughter's body when it was returned to Texas.
“I went to the funeral home… I wanted to see her, you know, I didn't know what to expect. I knew she’d been missing for days and she was found outside, and it probably wouldn't look the best," said Castle. “I saw her body and she was covered, just infested with maggots, with bugs and decaying. And they didn't preserve her body or prepare her to come home.”
The suspect in her death was assigned to the USS James E. Williams and is in pre-trial confinement.
Phelan says they are engaging with subject matter experts from "multiple disciplines" to review these matters. Once the investigation is complete, they will identify any "necessary policy improvements to respect and honor our Service Members, our most precious resource."
Norfolk
TIMELINE: Everything we know about the death of Angelina Resendiz
Read the full letter from Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan below.
