Esmeralda Castle, the mother of slain Norfolk-based sailor Angelina Resendiz, is calling on the Navy to conduct an independent investigation into the death of her daughter.
“I want justice. She deserves it. All these women here deserve it. Every service member, whoever has been harmed by negligence because of a command,- they deserve justice,” she said.
Resendiz was declared missing at the end of May 2025. Her mother said she called the base and was told her daughter was fine. Investigators now believe she was killed in the barracks during the early hours of May 29. Her body was found June 9.
Sailor Jermiah Copeland faces murder charges in her death. His court-martial is set for June. Her mother said the Navy has left her out of the process. She spoke Friday, near Gate 5 of Naval Station Norfolk, where both sailors were assigned.
The League of United Latin American Citizens has called on lawmakers to create an independent panel to investigate.
“The United States military asks for an extraordinary commitment from those who serve. It demands loyalty, discipline and sacrifice. In return, it carries an unbreakable obligation and that is to safeguard the lives of its service members. Transparency is not optional,” said Danitza James, with LULAC’s National Military and Veterans Legislative Affairs subcommittee.
Virginia Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner signed a letter demanding answers from the Navy.
The group will meet with individual lawmakers in Washington D.C., next week, where they will press for a bill. Lawmakers passed a similar bill after the 2020 death of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén at Fort Hood, Texas, which led to changes in how the Army handles cases involving missing soldiers.
A recent report by the General Accountability Office found that the services lack a uniform plan for finding missing troops, which contributed to delaying the search for them.. The GAO reviewed 295 "involuntary" absence cases from 2015 to 2024, and found that 93% of service members were eventually found dead.
The report found that Air Force and Navy policies lack specificity, leading to misunderstandings by commanders, which can delay searches. The Marines Corps is still developing its formal guidance.
