Texas Female Soldier Found Dead at Fort Hood

A 21-year-old female Texas soldier was found dead this week in Fort Hood, the same army base where Vanessa Guillen was gruesomely murdered less than three years ago.

An investigation is underway following the discovery of the body of Pvt. Ana Basaldua Ruiz, a combat engineer in the 1st Cavalry Division, on Monday, just 15 months after she had arrived at Fort Hood, the New York Post reported.

The female Texas soldier's death, which was not made public on Thursday, is being investigated by the Army Criminal Investigation Division.

According to the Army's press release, the higher-ups have been in touch with Basaldua Ruiz's loved ones.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of PV2 Ana Basaldua, and we extend our sympathy to her father, mother, and sister," said Lt. Col. Patrick Sullivan, commander of the 91st Engineer Battalion. "Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time. She was an exceptional teammate that will truly be missed."

While officials did not release her cause of death, Basaldua Ruiz's family told Telemundo that officials said there was no foul play and that she died by suicide.

Female Texas Soldier Told Mom She Was Being Harassed in Fort Hood Before Death

Originally from Mexico, Ana Basaldua Ruiz later acquired U.S. citizenship through naturalization, according to KWTX.

Although she joined the Army in 2020, she did not begin military training at the Central Texas army base until 2021 because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The young woman's father, Baldo Basaldua, who lives in California, said his daughter recently told him that "she was no longer comfortable," that her whole life was wrong, and she wanted to die.

Her three-year contract was supposed to end in August. The last time he spoke to her daughter was on Saturday, March 12, the father claimed, adding that she no longer replied to his messages by Sunday.

Baldo said he sent her daughter messages again Monday, but they did not reach her, so he went to look for her satellite location and found her in a park inside the base.

"And that was it... I just put a message to her that the one who was going to die was going to be me out of anguish for not knowing anything about her," Baldo noted.

The female Texas soldier's mother, Alejandra Ruiz Zarco, told Telemundo her daughter claimed that her Army commander "was harassing her" and was the subject of persistent sexual advances from other people's posts.

"She told me 'mom, everyone wants me to sleep with them, but they are a*******,'" the mother said, adding that she last talked to her daughter on March 8.

Alejandra noted that her daughter also told her, "she was very sad, that a lot of very strong things were happening, that things were not as normal as I thought."

However, It is unclear whether Basaldua Ruiz reported any sexual harassment while at Fort Hood.

Fort Hood Had Seen Many Suicides and Sexual Assaults Among Soldiers

In the last five years, there have been 50 suicides and 11 homicides investigated at Fort Hood in Texas, which has long suffered from homicide, suicide, and sexual assault among its soldiers, according to 2021 data, The Hill reported.

An extensive investigation into sexual assault and violence in the army base was initiated after Vanessa Guillen was murdered there in April 2020.

As a result of the investigations, 14 leaders were either removed from office or placed on administrative leave, and various policies were altered.

The Army added that it would create a separate office to deal with sex offenses that would operate outside the line of command.

Like Ana Basaldua Ruiz, Guillen reported sexual harassment by fellow soldiers before another murdered her. Guillen's suspected murderer Spc. Aaron Robinson shot and killed himself as police tried to arrest him.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Fort Hood Investigating Death of Private Ana Basaldua Ruiz - From KWTX News10