Girl, 16, found dead in Fort Lewis barracks
FORT LEWIS, Wash. -- The Army says one 16-year-old civilian girl was found dead and another was found unresponsive in a barracks at Fort Lewis.
In a statement issued about 36 hours after base emergency personnel responded to a 911 call early Sunday, Fort Lewis spokesman Joe Piek said a Madigan Army Medical Center doctor declared one girl dead at the scene. The second teen was taken to Madigan for emergency medical care and was reported in stable condition today.
Piek said there were no outward signs of physical trauma on either girl.
He said Army doctors at Madigan were performing an autopsy on the dead girl, but results might not be available for at least a week.
Base officials said the Army is investigating what the girls were doing in the barracks and whether drugs or alcohol were involved, adding the presence of the teen civilian girls "in the barracks at 3:30 a.m. is likely a violation of any of the units' barracks visitation policies."
"One of the points they have to investigate is how these girls came to be on this installation, in this barrack, and how this all happened," said Fort Lewis spokesman John Norgren.
For civilians to be allowed on the Army base, they must show proper identification and have a valid reason for being on the base. They're often also sponsored by a soldier who would be responsible for them while on Fort Lewis property.
The Army's Criminal Investigation Division is investigating both the circumstances and cause of death. The girls were not identified.
Piek said the Army would not be releasing the names of the girls since they were minors and civilians.
Piek said a Fort Lewis soldier who was "allegedly acquainted with the two girls" has been questioned, but no arrests had been made.
In a statement issued about 36 hours after base emergency personnel responded to a 911 call early Sunday, Fort Lewis spokesman Joe Piek said a Madigan Army Medical Center doctor declared one girl dead at the scene. The second teen was taken to Madigan for emergency medical care and was reported in stable condition today.
Piek said there were no outward signs of physical trauma on either girl.
He said Army doctors at Madigan were performing an autopsy on the dead girl, but results might not be available for at least a week.
Base officials said the Army is investigating what the girls were doing in the barracks and whether drugs or alcohol were involved, adding the presence of the teen civilian girls "in the barracks at 3:30 a.m. is likely a violation of any of the units' barracks visitation policies."
"One of the points they have to investigate is how these girls came to be on this installation, in this barrack, and how this all happened," said Fort Lewis spokesman John Norgren.
For civilians to be allowed on the Army base, they must show proper identification and have a valid reason for being on the base. They're often also sponsored by a soldier who would be responsible for them while on Fort Lewis property.
The Army's Criminal Investigation Division is investigating both the circumstances and cause of death. The girls were not identified.
Piek said the Army would not be releasing the names of the girls since they were minors and civilians.
Piek said a Fort Lewis soldier who was "allegedly acquainted with the two girls" has been questioned, but no arrests had been made.