NCIS searching for Missing VA Sailor Angelina Petra Resendiz,21,last seen May 29

[Knox]

The murder of Vanessa Guillen sparked outrage across the U.S. and led to a surge of questions surrounding women’s deaths in the military including: the correlation between sexual assault or sexual harassment and murder, deaths ruled suicides by the military but disputed by the family, and the obvious disproportionate murders and sexual assaults of women of color.

While conducting our research of suspicious deaths of women in the military, we found that of the 53 women included in our research, 13 percent had experienced sexual harassment or sexual assault during their military service.

Unfortunately, Vanessa Guillen is not the first case to receive attention for sexual assault and harassment.
Every two years since 2006, the Department of Defense releases a report on the prevalence of sexual assault in active duty. Additionally, about every year the DOD releases an annual report on sexual assault in the military that details sexual assault report rates and the programs focusing on sexual assault prevention.

According to the 2019 report, the DOD saw a three percent increase in sexual assault reports from the 2018 figure. Hopefully, this increase in reporting is a positive sign suggesting that more active military members feel supported and comfortable with coming forward after experiencing sexual assault or harassment.

Of the 54 cases we studied, approximately 11 percent involved some sort of inconsistency between Army conclusions and the opinions of those who knew the deceased...

VANGUARD ANALYSIS: Suspicious Deaths of Women in the U.S. Military - Davis Vanguard

By Mella Bettag, Jose Medina, Lauren Smith

davisvanguard.org

That last sentence … the Military seems to rule many deaths as suicide, when there is supposedly evidence to the contrary.

Sort if off topic, but not - did anyone see the 48 Hours program on Colonel Michael Stahlman? If you haven’t try and find it online. Dovetails what we are discussing here.

 

[Oiseaux]

Wow. Thanks for the good info, @sds71! That's really sad to see all of those names on that list, and to know there are exponentially more who have suffered from assaults but not died, and maybe even not reported them out of fear.

This is entirely anecdotal and JMO - but thinking of AWOL situations we've seen here in recent memory, it seems like when a man goes missing from the military, the military seems to approach it (publicly at least) as a mental health or desertion situation. But when a woman goes missing, public messaging from the military generally seems quieter. Does that seem to be the case, or is my mind just grabbing onto the recent case in Camp Pendleton, where the recruit kept being spotted around town in an apparent mental health situation?

 

[Leilei]

Other than just his name, have we learned anything else?

There is a lot out there, including the condition of her body when it was received in TX.
It's shameful.

Body of fallen sailor returned home in terrible condition, mother says

Angelina Petra Resendiz was found dead by NCIS on June 9 in Norfolk, Virginia, after going missing nearly two weeks earlier from Naval Station Norfolk.

www.navytimes.com

 

[Knox]

There is a lot out there, including the condition of her body when it was received in TX.
It's shameful.

Body of fallen sailor returned home in terrible condition, mother says

Angelina Petra Resendiz was found dead by NCIS on June 9 in Norfolk, Virginia, after going missing nearly two weeks earlier from Naval Station Norfolk.

www.navytimes.com

That is terribly shameful, but I also blame the funeral home. Why didn’t they check her condition before allowing Esmeralda to see her?

 

[iusedtofloat]

That last sentence … the Military seems to rule many deaths as suicide, when there is supposedly evidence to the contrary.

Sort if off topic, but not - did anyone see the 48 Hours program on Colonel Michael Stahlman? If you haven’t try and find it online. Dovetails what we are discussing here.

A Marine colonel's widow fights for the truth behind his death: Suicide or homicide? full 48 hours video here

 

[Leilei]

That is terribly shameful, but I also blame the funeral home. Why didn’t they check her condition before allowing Esmeralda to see her?

I'm trying to figure that out. When my sister-in-law passed in March, the Ohio coroner released her to a local funeral home after autopsy, who processed her body, and then sent her to Florida for burial. From my understanding, she would not be able to be transferred until she was embalmed at the very least. Someone dropped the ball in a big way here, and it's awful that her mother's last sight of her daughter was so terrible. Granted, she had been out in the elements for quite a while, but at least clean her poor body up :'(
I'm also concerned that her mother was told that Angelina was safe and back on the ship, when that was very much not true. And, the young man in custody has had other issues, which should have put him in the brig/kicked out months ago, instead of being transferred to Norfolk and onto Angelina's ship.
Hoping for transparency and justice for this young lady.
IMO.

 

[Lusitana]

That is terribly shameful, but I also blame the funeral home. Why didn’t they check her condition before allowing Esmeralda to see her?

This poor mom. I will never forget seeing my dad for the last time and I wish I only had memories of him alive, so I can't even imagine how hurt and heartbroken she has to be for having this image of her dear daughter. I am so terribly sorry.

 

[sophiafox]

I’m not sure what the stats are for women who are murdered by a service member, but if they are available I’d like to see them. There are a few notable cases, one being Vanessa Guillen.

In other cases I’ve seen here over the years. I think the overarching problem is the communication with the victims family. It’s virtually non-existent, additionally there is no military liaison to guide and keep the family up to date through the military investigation and/or court martial process.

With Angie, they categorized her as AWOL for six days!!! Not missing, it wasn’t until her Mom rattled a few cages that any action was taken. The military mishandled it from the very start.

for a while they were tracking it until one day it stopped. The stats went like this... more wives/SO were killed by their service member than veterans committing suicide. THAT is not including how many service members just go out and rape and kill women. One of the major problems is that they move every 2 to 4 yrs so it is hard to match stats with the rapist/murder because that person is gone. Happened in Pensacola. A guy transferring the next day went to a bar and attacked a woman leaving it. He raped her and left her for dead behind a dumpster. He left the next morning as scheduled. Took a while to find him but thank goodness the bar had video cameras. They caught him and imagine that it had happened at other places he had been.

 

[mlhenn]

New Details Emerge in the Case of Angelina Resendiz, the 21-Year-Old Sailor Who Was Found Dead Near a Navy Base

A new memo from the Navy, obtained and shared my local outlets, gives new insight into the disappearance of 21-year-old sailor Angelina Resendiz, who was found dead near a Navy base on June 9.

people.com

July 13, 2025

Now, a Department of the Navy memo obtained and published this week by both CBS affiliate WTKR and NBC affiliate WAVY sheds more light on the timeline of events tied to Resendiz's death.

details at link above

 

[TwinkieDefense]

July 10, 2025 article

Congress members sign letter demanding accountability in death of Angelina Resendiz

More than a dozen members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus signed a letter demanding answers in the death of Brownsville sailor Angelina Resendiz, whose body was found last month in Virginia. A news release from the office of Congressman Vicente Gonzalez said the letter was sent to Navy...

www.krgv.com

[…]

An unidentified Navy sailor is in pre-trial confinement in connection with Resendiz's death, and has yet to be charged.

[…]

 

[Knox]

July 10, 2025 article

Congress members sign letter demanding accountability in death of Angelina Resendiz

More than a dozen members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus signed a letter demanding answers in the death of Brownsville sailor Angelina Resendiz, whose body was found last month in Virginia. A news release from the office of Congressman Vicente Gonzalez said the letter was sent to Navy...

www.krgv.com

[…]

An unidentified Navy sailor is in pre-trial confinement in connection with Resendiz's death, and has yet to be charged.

[…]

Why is he still unidentified?

 

[Leilei]

Why is he still unidentified?

His name has been out there in MSM for a while now.

https://www.newsnationnow.com/banfield/suspect-navy-sailor-angelina-resendizs-death-attorney/

IMO.

 

[Lusitana]

Why is he still unidentified?

Who Is Jeremiah Copeland? Suspect Identified In Navy Soldier Angelina Resendiz Murder Case

 

[Breezyflavor]

Oak Harbor woman claims assault by murder suspect | Whidbey News-Times

A former Oak Harbor resident accused of sexual assault is a suspect in the death of a sailor.

www.whidbeynewstimes.com

"Jeremiah Copeland is now in pre-trial confinement in relation to the death of Angelina Resendiz, according to Times Now News. Resendiz disappeared in May from the East Coast Navy base and was found dead in June, 13News Now reports."

 

[Ssschu]

Oak Harbor woman claims assault by murder suspect | Whidbey News-Times

A former Oak Harbor resident accused of sexual assault is a suspect in the death of a sailor.

www.whidbeynewstimes.com

"Jeremiah Copeland is now in pre-trial confinement in relation to the death of Angelina Resendiz, according to Times Now News. Resendiz disappeared in May from the East Coast Navy base and was found dead in June, 13News Now reports."

An Oak Harbor High School graduate was recently shocked and devastated to learn that a former classmate she accused of sexual assault is a suspect in the death of a sailor at Naval Station Norfolk.

Lauryn Lopez claims that Copeland sexually assaulted her in 2022, when he was 17 and she was 15 years old. She believes that the tragedy may have been avoided if her allegation had led to criminal charges being filed.

“Oak Harbor PD didn’t take me seriously,” Lauryn Lopez said. “They didn’t take my case as good enough to go forward with it. Therefore, they enabled him, and he continued to do it to other people. And I just think that the authorities have a lot of the responsibility in this.”

 

[Knox]

How brave of Lauren to come forward and share what happened to her!! I’m so sorry she wasn’t believed,

 

[Twistinginthewind]

RS&BBM:

July 30, 2025

'Serious questions:' Kaine, Warner push for answers in Seaman Angelina Resendiz's death​

"U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner (both D-Virginia) sent a letter Wednesday to the Secretary of the Navy seeking answers in the disappearance and death of seaman Angelina Resendiz.
....

The sailor's family has accused the Navy of mishandling this case. In a statement, Resendiz's family urged lawmakers to push for more accountability, specifically asking them to “address the systemic issues that allowed her to vanish without justice since May 29, 2025.”
....
In Kaine and Warner's joint letter to Secretary of the Navy... it states [sic]:

"... details are needed to fully understand how the Navy and law enforcement responded to her disappearance... it is critical that you provide Congress with significantly greater detail about the circumstances of Seaman Resendiz’s disappearance and death, including a more fulsome accounting of the Navy’s engagement with Seaman Resendiz’s loved ones and fellow sailors who had raised concerns about her well-being," the letter reads. "

'Serious questions:' Kaine, Warner push for answers in Seaman Angelina Resendiz's death

Virginia Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner sent a letter to the Navy Secretary, asking for answers in regards to the disappearance and death of sailor Angelina Resendiz.

www.wtkr.com

 

[Leilei]

He should never have been allowed to enlist.

Washington state court records show that Copeland faced charges in 2022 as a juvenile before he joined the Navy.

Navy Culinary Specialist Charged in Death of Fellow Sailor in Norfolk

Jeremiah Copeland has been held since the discovery of Seaman Angelina Resendiz’s body in June.

www.military.com

 

[Ssschu]

The sailor accused in the death of Angelina Resendiz will face a preliminary hearing on Thursday at Naval Station Norfolk.

Preliminary hearing set for sailor accused in death of Angelina Resendiz

Jermiah Copeland, the sailor accused in the death of Angelina Resendiz will face a preliminary hearing on Thursday at Naval Station Norfolk.

www.wtkr.com

 

[Twistinginthewind]

The sailor accused in the death of Angelina Resendiz will face a preliminary hearing on Thursday at Naval Station Norfolk.

Preliminary hearing set for sailor accused in death of Angelina Resendiz

Jermiah Copeland, the sailor accused in the death of Angelina Resendiz will face a preliminary hearing on Thursday at Naval Station Norfolk.

www.wtkr.com

Thank you for posting this update!! I have been waiting and waiting to hear of this -- good news! -- he is now on his way to being prosecuted in a court of law.

Angelina was an innocent victim murdered in cold blood by this miscreant, IMO, and it's taken way too long for him to be brought to justice within the military courts.

Heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, and community, and hope springs eternal there will be justice for her now.