Air Force Captain Commits Suicide?

[Bruzilla]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...xually-assaulted-Afghanistan-shoots-dead.html

This gal's story is getting a lot of play around here, and I was wondering if anyone else is following it? I ask because this whole deal seems very suspicious to me.

The story on the surface is that Capt. Jamie Brunette committed suicide on February 9 in Tampa, and that she was supposedly suffering from PTSD and had apparently been sexually assaulted while in Afghanistan. After her last deployment she had transferred from the Air Force to the Air Force Reserve and was about to open a new fitness salon with a business partner. She had showed no signs of being upset or suicidal, but had broken up with her boyfriend just two weeks before shooting herself, and now the story is she suffered some sort of emotional trauma while in Afghanistan that contributed to her killing herself.

Now here's where I have some questions:

First, this whole sexual assault allegation comes from her "business partner", who turns out to be not some Joe or Jane schmo but a Lt. Col. in the Air Force Reserve, Kurt Spranger. He's telling the media "I do not know the detail, but unequivocally I can say, yes, something happened, something that should never happen to a human. Something happened and it was why she wanted to get out. So she wouldn't have to deploy again." The problem with this is her sister, and her roommate, know nothing of this. She apparently told no one at her command, no one in her family, and not even her roommate, but told this "business partner", a superior officer in the Air Force, about something happening. That's really odd.

Second, she was found shot in the head, in the back of her car, which was found locked, in her apartment complex. Generally speaking, women who shoot themselves shoot themselves in the heart/chest, rarely the head. Men do that. Second, why was she in the back seat of her car? And third, why did she have the doors locked? None of that makes any sense for a woman killing herself in her car, but makes perfect sense if someone was with her in the back seat of the car, in her apartment complex because they didn't want to meet in her apartment because of a roommate, and who instinctively locked the door when they got out.

Third, she had been busting her butt getting this salon open and was about to open the doors to the public when she supposedly killed herself. That makes no sense either. Why would you kill yourself when you're just days away from one of the biggest days of your life?

Fourth, the coroner's report said she had a long history of smoking and drinking, but she was opening a fitness salon where she was going to be one of the trainers. I've known a LOT of longtime smokers and drinkers, and they wouldn't be caught dead being a fitness trainer, so I have to wonder how extensive this history was and who told the coroner she had these issues?

Lastly, her roommate says Brunette told her she was seeking treatment from the VA for PTSD and anxiety. Not to sound sexist, but I served with a lot of women while I was in the Navy, and women in general, and babes like her in particular, aren't subject to much in the way of abuse or anxiety. When there's you and about 200-500 guys, you are the belle of the ball 24/7, and the guys treat you like a queen, a daughter, or a love interest most of the time. On top of that she was an officer, not an enlisted, so she wasn't subjected to a lot of the harsher aspects of military life, and being in the Air Force she wasn't engaged in a lot of direct combat. So she wasn't some dog face getting beaten up in combat and roughing it very much.

So you add all this up and I'm having a really tough time seeing a case of suicide here, and I'm hoping the Tampa Police are taking a long, hard, look at this Lt. Col. Spranger. I don't know how the USAF is, but the Navy takes a very dim view of superior officers having personal relationships, yet along business relationships, with subordinates, and with her dumping her boyfriend without queing her sister or roommate to anything, it makes me pretty certain their relationship was personal as well. Did she resign her regular commission to be with this Spranger, who's also in the Reserves, and not because of not wanting to deploy again as he claims? And this Spranger is apparently married to boot, so was she pressuring him to leave the wife and he didn't want to? Lots of questions here, and lots of possibilities that make a helluva lot more sense than this girl shooting herself in the back seat of a locked car just days before he dreams became a reality.

 

[Richard Cranium]

She was cute. What a shame.

 

[SteveSS]

I wouldn't think girls that hot commit suicide. They've got the world on a string.

 

[super-bee_ski]

Yup,
All good points Bruzilla,
And as you mention, it doesn't add up.

It seems she had "Plans" getting the Salon open for business.
This usually conflicts with "despair" that potential suicide victims face. "No plans, no future, no-way-out"

Also: Typically women do NOT commit suicide in a violent manner. Especially not with a gun-shot wound to the head.
Men kill themselves that way.

Yup, it is under investigation.

God Bless her and her family/loved ones.

One thing to note:
The U.S. Military is seeing extremely high numbers of suicides per year.

-USA Today: The Army reported a decline in soldier suicides for the second straight year: 135 in 2014 vs. 146 in 2013. But increases in suicides among sailors and airmen last year raised total suicides among active-duty personnel to 288, up from 286 of 2013.

 

[Canyon707]

It's difficult to understand why anyone does that. There is so much help out there today to help prevent this. Seems like such a waste.

 

[moparcanuck]

Perhaps we'll see this in an upcoming episode of Dateline...

 

[Budnicks]

1st I've seen & heard of it, it's really sad either way, PSTD or Not
she's gone, we have lost another Vet, maybe it contributed to her situation,
not actually knowing her, out of respect I couldn't comment on her state of mind...
Capt. Jamie Brunett May She Rest In Peace

 

[themechanic]

Of all the suicides I've read about or heard about it was Men shoot themselves and Women take pills.

Too bad however it happened.

 

[badmopar67]

It sure doesn't sound right, I hope they get to the bottom of it

 

[Moparsmitty]

I agree Bru, this smells pretty fishy to me. Hopefully the police get it right and find out exactly what happened.

 

[67GTX440]

I want to hear from the boyfriend she just broke up with to get his side of the story. That said-

Of the two people I know personally who own fitness businesses, both smoke and one drinks heavily enough I would categorize him as a highly functional alcoholic.

Attractive and successful people are just as likely to commit suicide as anyone else. The article states she had a history of anxiety and depression. Alcohol abuse is often self medication for depression, and when combined with other depression treatment can be disastrous, especially in the early stages of treatment. Starting a new business is both exciting and very stressful.

A woman in the military might be more likely to commit suicide by firearm than the typical woman population. The choice of method is often chosen for ease of access and shock value with hanging or seriously disfiguring shooting considered on of maximum shock to those finding the victim. Pills, carbon monoxide, etc. are more just a painless means to an end without the shock value aspect. They are also less spur of the moment.

From my management experience, all male work groups are easy to manage, mixed men and women fairly easy, a lot of women and a few men fairly easy, all women work groups a little more difficult, a lot of men and a few women really hard. Women in a heavily male environment get a lot of attention, a lot of it sexual, unwanted, condescending and downright creepy. They are often stalked outside of the workplace by coworkers.

I don't think anyone doing or saying whatever it takes to avoid being redeployed is unreasonable at all. Those wanting to be redeployed may be less sane. If this was her purpose, this may be why she did not share the story with family and friends. Many rape victims keep this to themselves out of fear or reprisal and do not tell anyone. This is probably more so in the military due to history of failure of superior officers to take action. This is why it is so damaging.

I agree that the whole thing seems odd, but I find your summation of the facts to be full of sterotypes. Would this be a news story that people were talking about at all if she wasn't strikingly attractive? Probably not.

 

[Xp29h]

Great points! Smells to me too. Lots to be looked at. Just to add some mud, I did cover a couple of female suicides with use of gun to the head. It does happen but very rare.

 

[Bruzilla]

My concern is the media is LOADED right now with stories about vets killing themselves, and if I wanted to kill someone who was a vet, this would be a great way to cover my tracks.

- - - Updated - - -

I want to hear from the boyfriend she just broke up with to get his side of the story. That said-

Of the two people I know personally who own fitness businesses, both smoke and one drinks heavily enough I would categorize him as a highly functional alcoholic.

Attractive and successful people are just as likely to commit suicide as anyone else. The article states she had a history of anxiety and depression. Alcohol abuse is often self medication for depression, and when combined with other depression treatment can be disastrous, especially in the early stages of treatment. Starting a new business is both exciting and very stressful.

A woman in the military might be more likely to commit suicide by firearm than the typical woman population. The choice of method is often chosen for ease of access and shock value with hanging or seriously disfiguring shooting considered on of maximum shock to those finding the victim. Pills, carbon monoxide, etc. are more just a painless means to an end without the shock value aspect. They are also less spur of the moment.

From my management experience, all male work groups are easy to manage, mixed men and women fairly easy, a lot of women and a few men fairly easy, all women work groups a little more difficult, a lot of men and a few women really hard. Women in a heavily male environment get a lot of attention, a lot of it sexual, unwanted, condescending and downright creepy. They are often stalked outside of the workplace by coworkers.

I don't think anyone doing or saying whatever it takes to avoid being redeployed is unreasonable at all. Those wanting to be redeployed may be less sane. If this was her purpose, this may be why she did not share the story with family and friends. Many rape victims keep this to themselves out of fear or reprisal and do not tell anyone. This is probably more so in the military due to history of failure of superior officers to take action. This is why it is so damaging.

I agree that the whole thing seems odd, but I find your summation of the facts to be full of sterotypes. Would this be a news story that people were talking about at all if she wasn't strikingly attractive? Probably not.

All good points, and taken individually make sense, but for this woman to have committed suicide then she would have been going against the norm across the board, and that's rarer than winning the lottery. One other issue is the gun she used. She bought a .380, which is a typical small pistol that a woman would carry for self-defense to carry in a small purse, but certainly not the gun you purchase for suicide, especially by a vet who has a better understanding of firearms than the average Joe.

Oh, I'm sure there are some fitness center owners who smoke and drink, but she was also going to be the lead trainer as well. Are the owners you know fitness trainers as well?

 

[5.7 hemi]

Not to take away from her problems that led her to kill herself, but when someone does take their own life, I look at as they are helping to thin the herd.

Again, I don't like to hear of anyone taking their own life, but if that is the only option they see, so be it.

 

[fwi]

Maybe it's not PTSD but PESD (post election stress disorder).

 

[steve from staten island]

Not to take away from her problems that led her to kill herself, but when someone does take their own life, I look at as they are helping to thin the herd.

Again, I don't like to hear of anyone taking their own life, but if that is the only option they see, so be it.

I guess everyone is entitled to his or her's own opinion but i gotta tell you,yours is one of the most callous I've read in awhile

 

[BIGSHCLUNK]

Buzilla,. I'm not aware of this story but in reading your post it seems the crapolla meter started to move. Theres some things there that don't add up IMHO

 

[steve from staten island]

B,is it possible when she bought that 380 she was not thinking of killing herself? But in a mental state she was in she just used it to kill herself?

 

[Bruzilla]

Not to take away from her problems that led her to kill herself, but when someone does take their own life, I look at as they are helping to thin the herd.

Again, I don't like to hear of anyone taking their own life, but if that is the only option they see, so be it.

I'm about 98% certain she didn't kill herself.

- - - Updated - - -

B,is it possible when she bought that 380 she was not thinking of killing herself? But in a mental state she was in she just used it to kill herself?

Very possible Steve, but taken in context with everything else, it's not likely. Everything about this story stinks when you look at the big picture. Most women don't shoot themselves in the head, most suicidal people take their lives in remote places or out of public view and not in an apartment parking lot. Why would she shoot herself in the back seat, and why would she lock the doors? None of that is consistent with someone killing them self and very consistent with someone needing to meet someone when one or the other doesn't want to meet in their apartment and someone locking the doors out of instinct when they get out. As for the gun, it would make sense that her business partner would have known about it, and could have taken it out of her purse.

Like I wrote before, inconsistencies do show up at crime scenes, but this whole story is nothing but one inconsistency after another, and that always bothers me as people tend to be pretty consistent in most everything we do.

 

[steve from staten island]

B, id have to disagree. Local story just the other day,car parked on the street,guy was inside dead of a self inflicted gunshot wound. A woman walks down the street across from my brothers house,she climbs on top of a old VW parked under a tree,toss's a rope over a branch and hung herself. There is just know way of reading whats in peoples minds when there is a state of wanting to end there life. Plenty of people seem to have it all together and you read were they ended it all ,you just can't tell. I had two relatives commit suicide and i had a co worker talk about committing suicide once and i turned him in to the boss's and he wound up in a psych ward for a week. In that case weeks later the guy told me it was stress of family issues and it got worse and worse. He told me he hadn't slept for four full days and could not think straight. Of course you may be correct in what you think but the authorities who deal with this all the time usually can tell during there investigation if foul play was involved