Mesquite

North Texas soldier murdered near Kentucky Army base stabbed nearly 70 times: autopsy

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For two months, loved ones of a Mesquite soldier have been wracked with questions about what happened near Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

On May 17, police in Clarksville, Tennessee, found Private First-Class Katia Duenas Aguilar murdered in her home.

“It's been really depressing, you know, since my sister was always like a sunshine, said Cecilia Ruiz Aguilar.

Ruiz Aguilar said at that time, the family never imagined they’d still be waiting for an arrest.

From her sister’s graveside back home in Mesquite Tuesday, she addressed a recently released autopsy report that found the 23-year-old suffered 68 stab wounds to her neck and upper body.

“I felt really angry. I know my mom felt angry, too. We just didn't understand. We don't understand why this even happened. She's not the type of person to have enemies or to hold a grudge for long,” she said.

At the time of her murder, the Army’s 101st Airborne Division said it was “stunned” by Duenas Aguilar’s death.

Army CID Special Agents are working alongside a Special Homicide Unit from the Clarksville Police Department to follow leads actively.

Last month, The League of United Latin American Citizens stood alongside the family to offer a reward of $55,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

“We just want justice more than anything. That's the only thing that matters to us right now more than anything,” said Ruiz Aguilar.

Anonymous tips can be left at the Clarksville Montgomery County Crime Stoppers Tips Line at 931-645-8477 or online at https://P3tips.com/591.

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