An active-duty airman stationed at Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas was found dead on train tracks in a mysterious manner.
The Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office was informed about the discovery of the body at a railway in Del Rio around 9am on Tuesday, according to the air force base.
His name has not been revealed yet, as his family is yet to be notified.
‘A member of our Air Force and Laughlin family has sadly passed away,’ said Col Kevin Davidson, 47th Flying Training Wing commander, on Thursday.
‘Our hearts and prayers are with the family and all those that knew him. Our top priority is to support the grieving family, friends, and loved ones struggling with this loss.’
The sheriff’s office is investigating the cause of the airman’s death. The air force base mentioned that they would provide more information ‘as it becomes available’.
Del Rio, where the base is located, is about 20 miles east of the US–Mexico border.
The US Army Air Corps established the Laughlin Army Air Field in July 1942 as a flight training school for aircraft including the B-26 Marauder and Douglas A-26 Invader, as stated by the base’s website.
It continued to serve as a flight training school for American and allied countries’ pilots during World War II.
In 1961, the air field announced that Laughlin’s mission would expand to offer an undergraduate pilot training program.
‘Laughlin’s critical mission has remained the same since 1962: train and develop the finest military pilots,’ states the base’s site.
Currently, the base uses the T-6 Texan II, T-38C Talon and T-1A Jayhawk for training American and allied nations’ pilots.
The airman is not the only serviceman to be found dead in the US recently.
In July, three US Marines were discovered dead inside a parked car at a gas station about 30 miles from Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. There were no signs of foul play and their causes of death were determined to be due to carbon monoxide positioning.
