BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Congressional Hispanic Caucus sent a letter to the U.S. Navy, demanding answers on the death of Valley native, Seaman Angelina Petra Resendiz. ValleyCentral has obtained the memo in which the Navy replied to their questions.
Last week, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) announced that he had sent a letter to the Secretary of the Navy, John Phelan, concerning the “tragic and disturbing death of Seaman Angelina Resendiz.”
More than a dozen members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus joined the Congressman in demanding answers regarding the circumstances and timeline of Seaman Resendiz’s death.
As previously reported by ValleyCentral, Resendiz was last seen alive on May 29. The Navy said she was last seen in her barracks at Naval Station Norfolk.
On June 9, a body was found in Norfolk’s Broad Creek neighborhood and the next day the Navy, which is investigating this case, identified the body as Resendiz’s.
At the time of her disappearance, Resendiz was assigned to USS James E. Williams in Norfolk, Virginia.
The Navy’s Memo
The first question asked by the members of congress was as follows:
- After Seamen Resendiz initially went missing on May 29th when was she classified as UA (Unauthorized Absence)?
The Navy responded that on May 29, Culinary Specialist Resendiz was seen onboard the Naval Station in Norfolk by an Chief Petty Officer assigned to her ship. She was on authorized liberty on that day, meaning that she had no assigned duties on the ship and was not required to muster with her chain of command.
However, the next day, she did not report for duty and was listed on the warship’s daily absentee report.
On May, 30, the muster report was completed at 10:10 a.m. She was listed as an Unauthorized Absence at 7:30 a.m. that morning.
2. Did the command search her room before deciding on this classification?
The navy responded that a wellness check was conducted at 5:45 a.m. on May 29 after an E-4 reported that he could not find Resendiz after she allegedly asked him to pick her up at the barracks. At that time the Navy Station Norfolk Base Police and Base Police entered her room.
At 9:30 a.m. May 30, two members of the ship conducted a wellness check on Resendez’s barracks room and the room of the sailor she was last seen with on May 29. At 10:17 a.m. the two members reported that she was not found.
A wellness check was also conducted on another sailor assigned to the USS James Williams at 10 a.m. May 29. At that time, a Chief Petty Officer found Resendiz in the barracks room assigned to another sailor, the reply stated.
3. Did the UA status delay the start of the formal investigation?
The Navy replied that the command’s decision to place an Unauthorized Absence status for Resendiz was solely a “command action and it did not affect the initiation of the NCIS investigation.” NCIS began an investigation on May 31 after being notified by the Norfolk Police Department (NPD) of a missing persons report, which NPD received on that same day. According to the Navy, the missing persons report involved Resendiz and the sailor she was last seen with. The Navy did not name this individual.
4. When did the Navy first contact Seaman Resendiz’s mother and what information did
they give her?
To this question, the Navy responded that at 7 p.m. on May 31, Resendiz’s mother, Esmeralda Castle, contacted the ship’s quarterdeck requesting information on her daughter’s whereabouts.
The Chief Petty Officer assigned to USS James E. Williams who last saw Resendiz in the barracks on May 29 spoke with Castle and told her about when he last saw her child. The Chief Petty Officer also told Castle that Resendiz was absent on may 30 and 31 and that the Navy was actively working to locate her daughter.
On June 1, the NCIS contacted Castle. They remained in contact with the mother between June 1 and 11 with the only exception being on June 7.
On June 2, the commanding officer of USS James E. Williams called Castle to let her know that Resendiz had not reported for duty since May 30 and “that the chain of command was concerned about her wellbeing and actively working to locate her along with law enforcement.”
The Commanding Officer asked Castle if her daughter had contacted her during this time. They also informed her about the missing persons report and the NCIS investigation.
“This notification occurred on Day 4 of CSSN Resendiz’s absence – Navy policy requires such a notification to next-of-kin on Day 5 of a Sailor’s absence,” the Navy noted.
As previously reported by ValleyCentral, one suspect, Jermiah Copeland, is in custody in connection with the case. ValleyCentral’s sister station WAVY reached out to NCIS for details on his military career.
They were able to confirm from NCIS Public Affairs that Copeland enlisted in July 2023. He was assigned to USS Harry S. Truman from Dec. 30, 2023 until Jan. 22, 2025. Two days later he reported to USS James E. Williams, the same ship as Resendiz.
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