Navy concludes suicides of three sailors assigned to USS George Washington were not connected
CBSN
The Navy's investigation into the suicides of three sailors assigned to the USS George Washington concluded the deaths were not connected, but stress related to life in a shipyard environment was a "contributing factor" in at least one of the suicides.
In April, Master-at-Arms Seaman Recruit Xavier Mitchell-Sandor, 19, Interior Communications Electrician 3rd Class Natasha Huffman, 24, and Retail Services Specialist 3rd Class Mika'il Sharp, 23, died by suicide within days of one another, raising questions about the conditions on ships undergoing overhauls as well as access to mental health resources. The investigation said it appeared the living conditions aboard the ship was a "contributing factor" in Mitchell-Sandor's death by suicide.
Though the investigation released Monday concluded the deaths were not directly connected and that ultimately independent personal struggles led each sailor to suicide, it does provide more details about the conditions of shipyard life and the "overwhelming" stress on mental health resources.
