An arrest has been made in connection with the disappearance of a 21-year-old woman, a U.S. Navy Seaman, found dead earlier this week, according to Naval officials and media reports.
Angelina Petra Resendiz was last seen at her barracks at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia on the morning of May 29, NBC News reported, but officials with the Virginia State Police did not issue a critically missing person alert for her until the first week of June.
The sailor’s body was discovered June 9 by members of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service in a wooded area in Norfolk.
According to the 21-year-old sailor’s family, Naval officials, including her commander, dragged their feet after her disappearance.
A spokesperson for the family told NBC News that Resendiz’s mother, Esmeralda Castle, was not informed of her daughter’s disappearance through official Naval channels.
“Her daughter’s colleagues, friends, and even authorities knew she was missing, but the response was minimal,” according to a statement released on behalf of the family. “After her friends filed a missing person’s report when her commander would not, they showed little compassion or understanding.”
Officials at NCIS, who have arrested an unidentified sailor in the 21-year-old’s disappearance, said in a statement that they began investigating as soon as the agency learned that she’d been missing.
“NCIS remains committed to uncovering the facts surrounding the tragic death of Seaman Resendiz to ensure accountability and justice,” the statement added.
Investigators told NBC News that the investigation is ongoing, and that charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice are pending against the suspect.
