The grim reality of violence within the military community was highlighted as the autopsy of Pfc. Katia Duenas Aguilar, a 23-year-old soldier from Mesquite, Texas, revealed that she had been stabbed nearly 70 times; Aguilar's body was discovered in May in her off-base apartment in Tennessee close to Fort Campbell, where she was stationed. FOX San Antonio reported that no arrests have been made despite the extensive injuries described in the autopsy, and Clarksville Police, together with Army Criminal Investigators, are actively involved in the case.
According to Aguilar's sister, Cecilia Ruiz-Aguilar, the family has been left shattered by the loss, struggling to accept the harsh circumstances of Aguilar's passing, who left behind a 4-year-old son and whose premature death was officially ruled a homicide after sustaining multiple stab wounds to her neck and upper body as stated by the Montgomery County Medical Examiner's Office, the painful details came through an interview with CBS News, wherein Ruiz-Aguilar poignantly remarked, "We want to believe that it's a nightmare that we can wake up and she will still be there," adding, "We're not OK right now."
Duenas Aguilar's service record began in 2018 when she enlisted in the Army and was later assigned to the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division; she had plans to leave the Army but decided to continue her service after consulting with an Army counselor—a detail that was shared with her family before her untimely death. The League of United Latin American Citizens, along with Aguilar's family, has put forth a reward of $55,000 for any information that could lead to an arrest and bring about a conviction in this unsettling case.
"She would...tell me that she's not happy over there and I wanted her to come back so we could make more memories," Ruiz-Aguilar told CBS News, reflecting on their conversations and the painful decision that kept Duenas Aguilar at Fort Campbell, the investigation into her death has drawn together the efforts of both the Clarksville Police and military authorities.
