U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner (both D-Virginia) sent a letter Wednesday to the Secretary of the Navy seeking answers in the disappearance and death of seaman Angelina Resendiz.
Resendiz, who was stationed at Naval Station Norfolk, went missing on May 29. A Critically Missing Adult Alert was issued five days later. Then, on June 9, Resendiz's body was discovered behind an elementary school in Norfolk.
The sailor's family has accused the Navy of mishandling this case. In a statement, Resendiz's family urged lawmakers to push for more accountability, specifically asking them to “address the systemic issues that allowed her to vanish without justice since May 29, 2025.”
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TIMELINE: Everything we know about the death of Seaman Angelina Resendiz
On Wednesday, Kaine and Warner sent a joint letter to Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, seeking more information into this case.
In Kaine and Warner's joint letter to Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, the senators say although the Navy has provided some initial information related to Resendiz's case, more details are needed to fully understand how the Navy and law enforcement responded to her disappearance.
"As the Navy continues its investigation, it is critical that you provide Congress with significantly greater detail about the circumstances of Seaman Resendiz’s disappearance and death, including a more fulsome accounting of the Navy’s engagement with Seaman Resendiz’s loved ones and fellow sailors who had raised concerns about her well-being," the letter reads.
Watch: Resendiz's mother demands accountability in daughter's death
Esmeralda Castle, Resendiz's mother, was also frustrated by the state of her daughter's remains. She told reporters on June 25 that her daughter's body was in poor condition when it arrived in her hometown in Brownsville, Texas.
"Her body, which was covered, just infested with maggots, with bugs, and decaying," Castle said.
The Virginia lawmakers' letter made reference to this concern, expressing worry "about the grief and anger caused by the condition of Seaman Resendiz’s remains upon arrival in Texas."
Kaine and Warner specifically requested a briefing from Navy officials on this case to be held by Aug. 14.
FULL LETTER: Sens. Kaine, Warner's letter to the Secretary of the Navy John Phelan
