Report: Crew suicides not linked, just ‘life stressors’

Marital turmoil, mental health struggles and an “inability to acclimate” to military life — “life stressors” — contributed to the life-ending decisions of three sailors assigned to the USS George Washington in April, a Navy investigation released this week reported.

Xavier Mitchell-Sandor, an 18-year-old sailor, lived aboard the dry-docked carrier for just three months before sending a final text message to his parents. During his time on the Washington, he slept in his car “on several occasions” and traveled home to Connecticut often to escape the shell of a ship that was periodically without hot water or power.

“Quality of life concerns were major sources of stress for Mitchell-Sandor, but these were not the sole cause of his suicide,” the report concludes.

Mitchell-Sandor was one of three sailors who died by suicide within a week in April while the carrier was undergoing an overhaul at Newport News Shipbuilding. In response, the Navy launched two investigations — one into the cause of and any correlation between the deaths, and another seeking answers to more extensive questions about what sailors experience while their ship is in the yard.

The roughly 60-page report includes summary interviews of more than three dozen people who worked with each of the sailors leading up to their deaths.

“We have diligently worked to determine the facts and understand the circumstances surrounding these tragic events with the hope that this will not only provide closure to those grieving the loss of our shipmates, but to learn and better refine our process to address a public health issue that affects families, communities, and our society,” said Rear Adm. John F. Meier, commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic.

Besides being assigned to the same ship undergoing a lengthy overhaul, the suicides, the Navy found, were not connected.

Mika’il Sharp, a 23-yearold retail services specialist, died by suicide April 9 at a private residence in Hampton. While Sharp had been assigned to the Washington, he was on temporary additional duty orders to Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek to attend barber school and lived at his mother’s house at the time.

The Navy reports that on the night of Sharp’s “impulsive decision to end his life,” he got into a drunken physical altercation with his wife while at a house party. The investigation concluded that Sharp “likely felt his actions had irreconcilable negative consequences for his marriage, his life and his career.”

The same night, Natasha Huffman, a 24-year-old interior communications electrician, died at her residence following a night of heavy drinking and an argument with her boyfriend.

Huffman had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was taking prescription medications from military and civilian doctors.

“Based on discussions with the George Washington Senior Medical Officer, Psych Boss, and the investigation team’s own mental health consultant, mixing any of these medications with alcohol would increase the effect of sedation, likely affecting IC3 Huffman’s decision making ability,” the report read.