Corps oOfficials have identified the Marine who was pronounced dead after she was found unresponsive in her Japan Okinawa barracks last week and later declared dead as 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Jessica Taylor of Ridgeway, Virginia.
Lance Cpl. Jessica Taylor, 20, of Ridgeway, Virginia, was assigned to 9th Engineer Support Battalion at Camp Hansen in Okinawa, Japan. She 3rd Marine Logistics Group, was declared dead by medical officials at U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa at 1:06 a.m. on Friday after being discovered unconscious in her barracks room. stationed aboard Camp Hansen.Taken to U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa after being discovered unconscious, she was pronounced dead by medical officials at 1:06 a.m. May 8.
The cause of her death remains under investigation, officials said. A spokesman for III Marine Expeditionary Force did not respond to requests for additional information more information.
Capt. Justin P. Murphy, Taylor's her company commander, described Taylor as dedicated, gregarious and kind.
"[Taylor] was an aggressive, hardworking Marine whose efforts improved mission readiness within Engineer Company B," Murphy said in a statement. "She possessed a warm, charismatic energy that was contagious to all Marines within the company. [Taylor] was like a little sister to everyone within the unit and will be greatly missed."
Taylor is the second Marine to be found unresponsive dead in a Corps barracks room in recent weeks. Gunnery Sgt. Eugene Jones similarly was found dead in barracks aboard Camp Pendleton, California, in late April on April 29. Based Stationed in Hawaii, Jones had traveled to Pendleton for a professional military education course.
And another Okinawa-based Marine, Lance Cpl. Michael A. Tuttle, was discovered dead in his Camp Kinser barracks in November.
Taylor is survived by her mother, Janice, and brother, Joseph, according to a news release officials said. Before her death, she earned the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon as well as the Global War on Terrorism Service and National Defense Service medals.
Twitter: @DerrickTPerkins
