The answers to the mystery surrounding the death of Airman 1st Class Luis Vazquez are beginning to come out. An autopsy revealed that the 18-year-old died from gunshot wounds to his chest and head, the Associated Press reported.
Vazquez's body was found on January 14 in Knob Noster State Park, which
isn't far from Missouri's Whiteman Air Force Base, where he was stationed. He and another airman, Kerby
Barbe, no-showed duty, sending Air Force authorities looking for them in a bizarre case that ended with Barbe committing suicide in Texas as authorities surrounded him on January 11.
Barbe was found in
a wooded area of a subdivision in Blanco County, Texas; he reportedly had an assault
rifle, 300
rounds of
ammo and military body armor with him.
Now investigators are reportedly trying to determine whether a gun that Barbe bought at Whiteman was the same one used to killed Vazquez.
Reports at the time indicated that Barbe, 19, was
suspected of killing Vazquez. Here's a
weird twist in the story, via the Star:
Investigators said they thought Airman Kerby Barbe, 19,Barbe reportedly bought an assault rifle at the basedrove Vazquez's pickup to Texas and shot himself with an assault rifle
Tuesday evening as authorities approached him. Investigators learned
from Barbe's girlfriend that he told her he had critically wounded an
airman and left his body in Knob Noster State Park.
"He denied killing the airman," Heiss said.
exchange on Sunday, prior to being seen with Vazquez in the barracks
around 10 p.m. Barbe reportedly left the base Sunday evening, and his ID was checked coming back between 11 and 11:30
p.m. Vazquez was never seen leaving the base or returning.
The question -- why -- may never get answered with Barbe and Vazquez both dead.
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