Officials are investigating the unrelated deaths of two Army female soldiers in Texas after one was shot in her car on New Year's Day in San Antonio, and the other was found dead in her barracks at Fort Bliss on New Year's Eve.
According to the San Antonio Police Department, 30-year-old Staff Sgt. Jessica Mitchell was shot to death at around 2:30 a.m. Friday on I-10.
Police said Mitchell was found in a white Dodge Charger with multiple gunshots to the driver's side door and window.
PLEASE RT: Homicide detectives need the public’s assistance on a murder that occurred Friday, January 1, 2021 shortly after 2:00 a.m. Officers were dispatched to eastbound IH-10 and West Ave. for a stranded vehicle in the left lane causing a hazard. pic.twitter.com/reH7Y18xAW
— San Antonio PD (@SATXPolice) January 4, 2021
Mitchell was taken to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead around 3 a.m., police said.
Homicide detectives said the suspect's vehicle is possibly red and has damage to the vehicle's passenger side.
According to ABC News, Mitchell, who was, a drill sergeant assigned to the U.S. Army Medical Center for Excellence at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, was on holiday leave when she died.
On Twitter, U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence (MedCoE) Commanding General Maj. Gen. Dennis LeMaster thanked the SAPD for "aggressively investigating" the crime and that they would "support this effort tirelessly."
The second Army soldier that died was 19-year-old Pfc. Asia M. Graham was found unresponsive in her barracks room at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, ABC News reported.
The Army told Graham's family that foul play is not suspected in her death, but the family is waiting on toxicology reports, WCNC reported.
According to WCNC and KTSM, Graham told her family that another soldier sexually assaulted her in December 2019.
She reported it to her superiors in June 2020, KTSM said.
KTSM reported that on Oct. 22, charges were preferred against the alleged offender.
Last month, Graham told her family she was ready to get justice, WCNC reported.
KTSM said the investigation into Graham's death is ongoing.
