$55K reward offered for information on killing of Mesquite soldier
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - The family of a North Texas-raised soldier announced a $55,000 reward for information about her death.
Private First Class Katia Duenas-Aguilar was murdered in Tennessee, near the Fort Campbell army base where she was stationed.
"We want to believe it's a nightmare, that we'll wake up and she'll still be there," said Cecilia Ruiz-Aguilar, Katia's sister. "We're not okay right now."
Aguilar's family says earlier this month she was ready to retire from the military and come back to Texas, but suddenly she changed her mind after meeting with a counselor at the base.
"When she told me that, I said, are you happy in there? And she told me, no, I want to be with y’all. So I told her to think about it really good because we really want you here," said Ruiz-Aguilar.
The family did not go into detail about why she was unhappy and considering leaving and whether it could somehow be tied to the case.
Clarksville police say last Saturday night the 23-year-old's body was found inside a home.
Katia Duenas-Aguilar
Police ruled her death a homicide, but haven't said how she was killed.
Saturday afternoon, Aguilar's mother and sister along with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) urged the public to come forward with information that would lead to her killer.
A $55,000 reward from the family and LULAC was announced for any information that may help the police solve the case.
"This is a human being. This is a Latina. This is a young lady that signed on the dotted line to serve our country," said Analuisa Carrillo-Tapia of the LULAC National Military and Veterans Committee. "We want to know what happened, who did it and we want the person or people who did it brought to justice."
Aguilar's mother was emotional when someone asked if she thought the person who did this is also in the military.
"She's not the first one. The problem is inside. It's inside. Not outside. Everything is inside. They know and you know too," said Carmen Aguilar.
Aguilar joined the army after graduating from North Mesquite High School.
When she finished basic training in 2019, she was stationed at Fort Campbell on the Kentucky-Tennessee border.
She leaves behind a 4-year-old son.
FOX 4 reached out to Clarksville police to see if there are any updates. We're told that it is still an ongoing and active investigation.
Military law enforcement is also helping in the investigation.
We don't know if they have any suspects or if any other soldiers have been questioned.