The family of a Fort Bliss soldier who died on New Year’s Eve said she reported being sexually assaulted to the U.S. Army during her time at Fort Bliss, months before she died, according to KTLA sister station KTSM in El Paso, Texas.
Pfc. Asia Graham, 19, was found unresponsive in her barracks on Dec. 31, 2020, and was later pronounced dead by the Fort Bliss Department of Emergency Services personnel, KTSM reported.
According to special agents with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, “foul play is not suspected at this point in the investigation” of the death of Pfc. Asia M. Graham.
Graham, who was from Cherryville, North Carolina, joined the Army in July 2019 and arrived at Fort Bliss in December of that same year.
Her family said Graham told them she was raped the same month she first arrived to Fort Bliss.
Fort Bliss officials said Graham made an initial report of an alleged sexual assault on June 1, 2020. At the time, the soldier alleged a fellow soldier stationed at Fort Bliss sexually assaulted her in December 2019. Fort Bliss said Army Criminal Investigative Command investigated the matter.
“Charges were preferred against the alleged offender on October 22, 2020, which includes one specification of sexual assault pertaining to Pfc. Graham, those charges are pending adjudication,” Fort Bliss officials said in an email statement.
However, the family said they still have questions as they mourn Graham’s death.
“It wasn’t her time, I don’t understand why it was supposed to be her time,” Nicole Graham, Asia’s mother, told KTSM. “She just recently got outside therapy that she requested from the military and she was doing better; she was on her way up.”
But Graham’s family said they feel enough wasn’t done to help their daughter and sister.
“It’s just lack of leadership and instead of treating someone like a problem, you got to find that solution,” Graham’s older brother, Andrew Koenigsfeld, said.
In a statement regarding the allegations, Fort Bliss officials:
Team Bliss is committed to ensuring the fair administration of military justice at all levels of command. Commanders at Fort Bliss remain fully committed to ensuring good order and discipline in their formations while ensuring that every accused Soldier enjoys a presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
LTC Allie M. Payne, Director, Division Public Affairs 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss
The Graham family said Asia was ready to fight for justice right before she died. Her brother said they would take over her battle and continue to seek justice for the assault allegations.
“She was ready to fight, that was taken away,” Koenigsfeld said. “The victory of bringing justice, for her to see justice brought to that individual that did that to her and to several other women, she didn’t get to see that.”
The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command continues the investigation.