Personnel at Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield near Savannah, Georgia, found four individuals dead in an on-campus housing unit on Wednesday. Officials identified the people as a female soldier, her spouse, and their two children. The identity of the family members has not been released.
In a post on X formerly known as Twitter, Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield announced there was no threat to the public on the base and said the deaths were an isolated incident. Law enforcement have not released the family's names, pending notification of next of kin.
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Police entered the home for a welfare check.
According to the tweet on X, military police went to the home for a welfare check about 2 p.m. Wednesday. Police found the family unresponsive in the home, and they were pronounced dead around 5:30 p.m.
The incident is under investigation by both the Army's Criminal Investigation Division and Fort Stewart law enforcement, per Mililary.com.
Police did not release the cause of death.
Officials also did not disclose the family's names as the policy states next of kin must be notified first. Kevin Larson, Fort Stewart's chief of public communications, told Military.com that the base will issue an update when the timing is appropriate.
Larson added that he could not speak on why police enacted that welfare check, only that it was "part of the investigative process."
Many have speculated on how the family died.
Although few details exist at this time, many people have speculated the family died in a murder-suicide. Suicide rates among active-duty military members are at an all-time high since the military began keeping records after September 11, 2001, per the USO.
"In 2021, research found that 30,177 active duty personnel and veterans who served in the military after 9/11 have died by suicide – compared to the 7,057 service members killed in combat in those same 20 years. That is, military suicide rates are four times higher than deaths that occurred during military operations," the USO reported. "For military families and parents, whose active duty loved one already sacrifices so much to protect our freedom, this trend is extremely troubling."
The USO uses canines to provide mental health resources for military members.
USO Canine Volunteers work at USO centers across the globe to provide therapies for military members and their families.
"[The presence of the dog] adds a little special quality to their daily lives, and they need that for mental health, for their self-care – that's important," said Richard Rice, an Army veteran, USO Warrior Center volunteer, and USO Canine Volunteer handler, per the organization's website.
The volunteers also act as a listening ear for injured service members who need to know that someone cares.
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Fort Stewart is home to many soldiers and their families.
According to Military.com, Fort Stewart sits on 288,000 sprawling acres in Fort Stewart, Georgia. Between Fort Stewart and Hunter Airfield, 25,000 people, including 21,200 soldiers, work on the campuses, and nearly 20,000 military retirees live in the community.
