Carmen Aguilar, the mother of the deceased Fort Campbell soldier Pfc. Katia Dueñas-Aguilar, is calling for “justice for my daughter” as officials continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death nearly a week ago.
Dueñas-Aguilar, aged 23, leaves behind her mother and a 4-year-old son.
“We are devastated,” Aguilar said tearfully in Spanish to “Noticias Telemundo Ahora” on Friday morning. “My heart is broken.”
First responders discovered Dueñas-Aguilar’s body at her residence in Clarksville, Tennessee, on May 18. The local police department has classified the incident as “a homicide and is being actively investigated,” according to a news release reported by WSMV, NBC’s Nashville affiliate.
Originally from Mesquite, Texas, Dueñas-Aguilar had been stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, since 2019, working as an information technology specialist with the 101st Airborne Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade.
“There’s something suspicious about my daughter’s death,” Aguilar stated.
“I demand justice. As everyone knows, this isn’t the first case; there have been several others,” Aguilar said, referring to other high-profile cases involving Latina soldiers who have died in recent years.
Lt. Col. Tony Hoefler, a spokesperson for the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, informed NBC News on Friday that a group of soldiers is preparing to transport Dueñas-Aguilar’s body to her family in Mesquite, Texas, “to honor the fallen soldier” on May 31.
A representative from the Army Criminal Investigation Division told NBC News on Friday that they are still investigating Dueñas-Aguilar’s death along with the Clarksville Police.
As of Friday, there were no new updates on the case, according to Scott Beaubien, a public information officer at Clarksville Police, who spoke to NBC News.
Reward for Information
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the nation’s oldest Latino civil rights organization, has announced a $25,000 reward “for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the death of another Latina soldier,” LULAC National President Domingo Garcia said in a statement.
LULAC, known for its advocacy for Latino civil rights, had offered a similar reward in 2020 during the investigation of the disappearance and murder of Vanessa Guillén, a soldier at Fort Cavazos, formerly known as Fort Hood.
Guillén’s case attracted significant national attention when her family revealed that the soldier had confided to relatives and colleagues at Fort Cavazos, a base with high rates of murder, sexual assault, and harassment in the Army, that she had been sexually harassed. The family’s efforts led to major military reforms, including a law in Guillén’s name passed in 2022 to protect victims of sexual violence in the military.
Last year, another Latina soldier, Pvt. Ana Basaldua Ruiz, died by suicide at the same base after allegedly experiencing sexual harassment, as reported by her family.
“LULAC continues to fight for the safety and rights of Latino military personnel and calls for comprehensive measures to protect service members from violence and misconduct,” stated Roman Palomares, LULAC’s military and veterans affairs national committee chair.
Hoefler, the spokesperson at Fort Campbell, said they remain committed to “cooperating with Army and local investigative authorities on this matter.”
During her service, Dueñas-Aguilar earned two Army Achievement Medals, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon.
