Fort Bliss soldier, 19, found dead in her barracks on New Year’s Eve had been ‘sexually assaulted by another soldier’, her family says

Private First Class Asia Graham was found unresponsive on the base in El Paso on Thursday and was later pronounced dead

Army has launched investigation into the circumstances surrounding Graham’s death

Graham reported the assault to the Army but her mother, Nicole Graham, has accused the military of failing to protect her

Graham was a human resource specialist who joined the Army in July 2019

A 19-year-old soldier was discovered dead in her Fort Bliss barracks in Texas on New Year’s Eve, and her family is demanding answers from the military after saying she was sexually assaulted.
Private First Class Asia Graham, of Cherryville, North Carolina, was found unresponsive on the base in El Paso on Thursday and was later pronounced dead by Fort Bliss Department of Emergency Services staff.
An investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding Graham’s death.
However, family members have told WCNC Charlotte that Graham was sexually assaulted by another soldier while stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. 

Pfc. Asia Graham was pronounced dead Thursday after her body was found in her barracks room at Fort Bliss, which is headquartered in El Paso. The circumstances surrounding her death are still under investigation, authorities said in a news release Saturday.
The North Carolina native joined the Army in July 2019 and arrived at Fort Bliss five months later after completing combat training in Missouri and South Carolina, according to the release.
She was assigned to the 1st Armored Division Combat Aviation Brigade, where she served as a human resource specialist.
They said Graham reported the assault to the Army but her mother, Nicole Graham, accused the military of failing to protect her. 
 ‘She was ready to fight,’ said her brother, Andrew Koenigsfeld. ‘Then that got taken away.’
He described his sister as having a ‘heart of gold’ and said she was a motivational force.
‘Every day, every time I talked to my sister, she always preaches, ‘Go get your goals.’ What do you want to do with your life?” Koenigsfeld said.
As of Monday evening, US Army officials have not revealed how the 19-year-old soldier died.
Graham was assigned to I-501st Attack Battalion, 1st Armored Division Combat Aviation Brigade from Charlotte, KHOU11 reported. 

“The Iron Eagle team is deeply saddened by the loss of our friend and teammate,” said Col. Geoffrey Whittenberg, the brigade’s commander.
“Pfc. Graham was a valued member of the Iron Eagle team and did an outstanding job for this Battalion,” he said in a statement. “Her loss is felt not just in our formations but across the Army. We lost a skilled human resource specialist who wanted nothing more than to serve her country and her battle buddies.”
Graham’s awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and an Army Service Ribbon.
As of Monday evening, US Army officials have not revealed how the 19-year-old soldier died.
The latest incident adds to a string of mysterious disappearances and deaths at or near Army posts in Texas.
Fort Bliss authorities are still searching for Pfc. Richard Halliday, who disappeared from the base in July and was initially thought to have intentionally fled the post.