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The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) demanded on Wednesday "full transparency and accountability" for the death of Seaman Angelina Resendiz, a 21-year-old Navy sailor who disappeared on May 29.
Resendiz's body was found in a wooded area on June 10 near Naval Station Norfolk — 12 days after she was first reported missing. A suspect was in custody.
She served in the Navy as a culinary specialist.
In a statement before its press conference in Washington D.C., LULAC said that the "Navy's handling of her disappearance has raised serious concerns, drawing painful parallels to the 2020 case of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén, whose death similarly revealed deep flaws in military response and communication with families."
Guillén was killed on Fort Hood in 2020, and her murder ignited a change in how the military handles sexual assault and murder cases.
At a press conference Resendiz's mother, Esmeralda Cantu Castle, stood next to LULAC's CEO, Juan Proano, and officials from the American GI Forum and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, among others.
“Instead of treating Angie as a missing person in danger," Proano said, "the Navy reported her as [absent without leave] and waited six days to issue a missing person’s alert.”
LULAC added that it sent a letter to Secretary of the Navy John Phelan about the Resendiz case, and it also contacted the Department of Defense and House and Senate Armed Services Committees.
"The organization demands a full and independent investigation, accountability for command personnel, transparency with the Resendiz family, and reforms to prevent future tragedies," LULAC's statement added.
The U.S. Navy did not respond to TPR's request for comment.
Army Spc. Aaron Robinson is suspected of killing Guillén in an arms room at the base in 2020. Federal and state authorities believed Robinson beat Guillén with a hammer and later dismembered and burned her body. Robinson died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound when he was approached by police in July 2020.
Cecily Aguilar, a Killeen woman and Robinson's girlfriend, helped mutilate and conceal Guillén's remains, according to court documents. She also destroyed important digital evidence in the case and made false statements to federal investigators.
On Nov. 29, 2022, Aguilar pleaded guilty to one count of accessory to murder after the fact and three counts of false statement or representation. In August 2023, she received 30 years in prison for her role in Guillén's death.
The motive for Guillén’s killing was unclear. An Army report issued in April 2021 said that Guillén had been sexually harassed, but not by Robinson. Robinson was accused of sexual harassment in an unrelated case.
Her death sparked a national conversation about violence and sexual misconduct in the military. The services have since changed how the military handles sex crimes and other criminal investigations.
