Aviano Air Base has identified the airman found dead on base earlier this week.
Airman 1st Class Owen Little was reported deceased at approximately 1:12 a.m. on Monday, according to an Aviano AB press release.
Little, 21, of Yuba City, California, was assigned to the 31st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 56th Helicopter Maintenance Unit.
“The entire Aircraft Maintenance Squadron mourns the loss of Airman First Class Little,” said Maj. Abraham Smith, acting commander of the 31st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, in a statement. “Right now, our focus is providing support to those who loved him. He was an essential member of our maintenance team and he will be dearly missed.”
The death is being investigated by the Carabinieri — a national police force in Italy — with support from the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq.
