CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) -- Just two days after offering a $25,000 reward for information about the death of a Fort Campbell soldier, a Latino civil rights organization announced that reward has more than doubled.
During a press conference on Saturday, May 25, Domingo Garcia, the national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), said the organization is standing in solidarity with Carmen Aguilar, the grieving mother of Pfc. Katia Duenas-Aguilar, a 23-year-old Latina U.S. Army soldier whose body was found in her Clarksville apartment last week.
"We're not good. We want to believe that its a nightmare that we can wake up and she would still be there," said Duenas-Aguilar's sister. "We're not okay right now."
LULAC initially announced a $25,000 reward for information in the case Thursday and Saturday, Katia’s mother, Carmen, announced a commitment of an additional $30,000 to the reward fund, bringing it to $55,000.
"LULAC stands with Carmen Aguilar, mother of the young woman, an army soldier serving her country far from home, whose life has been taken, and we must have justice," said Garcia. "For this mother to commit, not just money but her total soul, to finding whoever did this deserves our complete and unequivocal support. LULAC urges anyone with information to come forward and speak to law enforcement to help identify, arrest, and convict the person responsible."
The Clarksville Police Department said officers responded to an ambulance call shortly after 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 18 in the 900 block of Tiny Town Road, where they found Duenas-Aguilar dead inside her home. Both local and military law enforcement are reportedly involved in the homicide investigation.
LULAC said Duenas-Aguilar was an information technology specialist who grew up in Mesquite, Texas; enlisted in the Army in 2018; completed her basic training at Fort Eisenhower, Georgia; and reported to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in 2019. In addition to her mother, Duenas-Aguilar is survived by her 4-year-old son.
Back home in Texas, those who knew Duenas-Aguilar tell our partners at WFAA how she made an obvious mark in the community.
"Loved to smile, loved to laugh, just a vibrant fun, always smiling person, always smiling every time I saw her," described Ryan Forkner, her choir teacher when she attended North Mesquite High School. "It's shocking and it's very hard to grasp the reality of it, especially someone so young, who was just starting their life."
According to the civil rights organization, Aguilar has committed $30,000 to the reward fund initially established by Garcia, underscoring "her relentless determination to find her daughter's killer and bring them to justice." The mother issued a plea to the Clarksville and Fort Campbell communities, as well as the rest of the nation to help with this endeavor.
In a Saturday press release, LULAC said Duenas-Aguilar's death echoes the painful memories of other fallen soldiers, including U.S. Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen, whose 2020 murder at Fort Hood, Texas, sparked national outrage and led to significant policy changes aimed at protecting service members from violence and abuse while in the military.
"LULAC will not rest until our service members who leave their families and homes to go defend our country are safe wherever they live," Garcia said. "Since the killing of U.S. Army Specialist Guillen, LULAC has been working with the Army and the Pentagon to pass and enforce legislation that protects Latino service members and others from military sexual trauma (MST). While we do not yet know the circumstances surrounding Katia's death, we call for a thorough and transparent investigation so that all facts about her killing are brought to light. This is the only way that our communities' trust can be fully restored so that our families will support sending their sons and daughters and loved ones into our armed forces."
In addition to offering the reward, LULAC has a national phone number where tips can be submitted anonymously: 202-833-6130. However, if you want to share information directly with Clarksville police, contact Detective Hofinga at 931-648-0656, ext. 5720.