Todd Spangler

Detroit Free Press

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Marine Corps says that two investigations are under way into the death of a recruit from Taylor who was undergoing training at Parris Island, S.C., and will determine whether hazing played any role in the incident.

Brig. Gen. David Furness, an assistant to the commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Robert Neller, said in a letter to a Michigan congresswoman Monday that it's "premature to comment" on concerns that hazing may have played a role in Pvt. Raheel Siddiqui's death March 18.

He added, "I can assure you that any indication of hazing will be carefully investigated."

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, had written Neller in April, asking him to respond to concerns raised by Siddiqui's family and others that hazing may have been involved in the recruit's death. Dingell noted that Siddqui was Muslim.

A Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) spokesman has said that an investigation is ongoing and there were no apparent signs of foul play. Siddiqui died after a 40-foot fall in a barracks stairwell and the initial report from the Marine Corps was that he committed suicide, a finding his family has questioned.

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Furness said a standard line of duty investigation is under way into Siddiqui's death and its findings will be provided to his family when completed. The NCIS investigation, he added, is expected to "continue for some time" and its findings would only be released once the case is considered closed.

Siddiqui's family would then be able to request that report through the Freedom of Information Act.

Furness also told Dingell that while the commanding officer of the 3rd Recruit Training Battalion was relieved of command March 31, this was based on the results of an inspector general's investigation and unrelated to Siddiqui's death or the overall training of recruits.

Furness, however, also mentioned that another recruit training commander was relieved of duty on Monday "based on facts ... relating to instances where policies and procedures were not followed." But he did not -- as in the case of the other officer -- say specifically whether that dismissal was in any way linked to recruit training or Siddiqui's death or not.

Dingell said she intends to keep pressing the Marines for "a clear picture of what happened, including the actions that led to the June 6th discharge of a commanding officer at Parris Island. This is the very least Private Siddiqui’s family and our community deserve."

“My thoughts and prayers continue to be with the Siddiqui family who need and deserve answers about the death of their son, a class valedictorian who was loved by all who knew him,” said Dingell. “It is critical that the investigations into his death be conducted in a thorough and unbiased manner, but they must also be completed as soon as possible to bring much-needed closure to his family and our community."

Contact Todd Spangler at 703-854-8947 or at tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @tsspangler.