The Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations is investigating the possible stabbing death of an airman at Andersen Air Force Base on Guam, and someone is in custody in connection with the death.
OSI spokeswoman Linda Card said in an email that agents at Andersen reported seeing a lot of blood at the scene, after they were called in by Andersen’s security forces.
Card said agents saw “what appeared to be a stab wound on the victim’s body,” though she said details on the cause of his death could not be confirmed until the official autopsy is finished and released.
Andersen officials said in a release that the airman was found unresponsive in quarters on base, and pronounced dead at about 3 a.m. Tuesday.
The base on Wednesday evening identified him as Airman 1st Class Bradley Hale, 20, who was deployed from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.
“This is a terrible tragedy, and we are all deeply saddened by the loss of this airman,” Brig. Gen. Douglas Cox, commander of the 36th Wing, said in the release. “Losing a member of our team is the most difficult thing we face, and today we have lost a member of our Air Force family. Our deepest sympathies, thoughts and prayers go with the family.”
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Card said that while a subject is in custody, “he remains innocent of any criminal charges until the autopsy results are released and charges are preferred.”
“Until then, we will continue to investigate and take appropriate action based on conclusive investigative findings as well as the official autopsy report,” Card said.
Card also said that investigators now have “no conclusive evidence” to determine how the airman died, and whether there is enough evidence to bring charges against anyone in his death.
“It is premature at this point to comment on future courses of action for this situation, as this is still an open and ongoing death investigation,” Card said.
Card said a medical examiner from the Office of Armed Forces Medical Examiner from Kadena Air Base in Japan is now heading to Guam, and is scheduled to conduct the autopsy on Friday. The autopsy will take place at mortuary affairs at Naval Base Guam, she said.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
