NCIS confirms body as missing Navy sailor with Valley ties; 2nd sailor in confinement

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - A body found in Norfolk, Virginia, has been identified as missing Navy sailor Angelina Resendiz, and another sailor is in pretrial confinement, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service confirmed Tuesday.

Resendiz has ties to the Rio Grande Valley and her mother, Esmerelda Castle, from Brownsville, says that she and her family will remain unwavering in their pursuit for justice.

NCIS said charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice are pending, adding that it will not release further information while the investigation is ongoing.

Resendiz was first reported missing on May 29 and was last seen in her barracks at Naval Station Norfolk around 10 a.m., according to the Navy.

In a statement released by the Resendiz family, the confirmation of the remains belonging to Angelina Resendiz has only strengthened their resolve to hold those responsible for her death accountable.

"Her disappearance has left a void in their hearts, and they refuse to let her suffering be in vain. The family is calling on the assistance of the United States government, Senator Mark Warner, Senator Tim Kaine, the Hampton Roads congressional delegation, home congressman Vicente Gonzalez, and President Donald J. Trump to address the systemic issues that allowed her to vanish without justice since May 29, 2025."

The statement further explains that there was an alleged oversight that put Resendiz's life at risk, "emphasizing the urgent need to address how official channels failed to notify them promptly and properly, relying instead on unofficial sources like the media, which underscores deep systemic failures."

Resendiz's mother, Emeralda Castle, told Nexstar's WAVY on Saturday that she knew something was wrong when her daughter stopped reaching out to family members.

“She talks to somebody every day,” Castle said. “Her and my sister have a 400-day streak on Snapchat, and it all stopped on Thursday. She doesn’t miss work.”

The statement explains that Castle was horrified at realizing she was not notified of her daughter's disappearance through official channels, but instead by Resendiz's fellow sailors and the media.

"Her daughter's colleagues, friends, and even authorities knew she was missing, but the response was minimal, and after her friends filed a missing person's report when her commander would not, they showed little compassion or understanding," it said.

"I called the ship and spoke with the officer on deck. He told me that they found Angie in another room," she said.

Castle is calling on Congress to investigate her daughter's death, as they have "the power to 'raise and support armies' and to 'provide and maintain a Navy.'"

"If the Navy cannot notify families properly and instead relies on unofficial sources, treating such incidents as inconveniences rather than emergencies, then Congress must investigate what has gone wrong," said the family's statement. "The Navy's failures threaten all families and the integrity of our military system, and Congress must reform these processes to prevent future tragedies, for the safety of all families, and for the integrity of our nation."

Castle said she has an idea of who killed her daughter, as Resendiz was with someone the day she was reported missing.

"Monday the person she was with that night, that Thursday night, had not shown up to work, and he showed up to work on Monday and she did not show up for work."

An NCIS spokesperson said in a statement that the law enforcement agency has been working the case of Resendiz's disappearance since they were made aware.

"NCIS has worked tirelessly in close coordination with Navy leadership, the Norfolk Police Department, Virginia State Police, Virginia Search and Rescue, and numerous other federal and local law enforcement partners to pursue all leads since learning of Seaman Resendiz’ disappearance," the agency said. "NCIS remains committed to uncovering the facts surrounding the tragic death of Seaman Resendiz to ensure accountability and justice."

" The family of Seaman Angelina Resendiz remains unwavering in their pursuit of justice, especially after the heartbreaking confirmation that these remains are hers, which only strengthens their resolve to hold those responsible accountable. Angelina was a kind and compassionate young woman who brought light into our lives, and her mother, Esmerelda Castle, expressed that Angelina was a loving daughter who always cared for others; her disappearance has left a void in their hearts, and they refuse to let her suffering be in vain. The family demands accountability for oversight that put her life at risk and for mishandling that delayed justice, emphasizing the urgent need to address how official channels failed to notify them promptly and properly, relying instead on unofficial sources like the media, which underscores deep systemic failures. Their determination is relentless for Angelina, for all women, and for every family suffering in silence. Justice must be served. As Esmerelda Castle shares, as a mother, the worst thing possible is to imagine something happening to her child. Knowing that her daughter, a service member, had disappeared, she was horrified to realize that she was not properly notified through official channels and that, instead, she was only informed unofficially by her daughter's staff and media coverage. This systemic failure to provide timely and official notification was unacceptable."