NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A cluster of suicides among the crew of USS George Washington led the Navy to make changes in its mental health protocols. That was two years ago, but just two months ago, another crew member was found dead.

Officially, the medical examiner ruled April Walden’s death a suicide as well, but April’s family members believe that someone killed her.

The circumstances surrounding her death, they said, don’t seem to add up.

If you were thinking about taking your own life, would you fill your car with gas the night before? Buy groceries the night before? Place some of that food out on the stove ready to be cooked?

For these and other reasons involving April Walden’s boyfriend, her sister refuses to believe that she died by suicide.

“I believe my sister was killed,” said Monickie Simmons. She cannot accept the official ruling of how her sister April died — suicide by hanging. “No, my family doesn’t believe it. Her neighbors don’t even believe that.”

Norfolk Police responded to a welfare call around 11:15 a.m. Nov. 16. Walden’s ship had recently returned from deployment, and on that day, she had not shown up for work. Police found her hanging from a bedsheet in her rented townhome in West Ocean View.

Where did that bedsheet come from?

“All of the kids’ beds were made, and her bed, it was made,” Simmons said. “There was no extra sheets, you know, because that sheet would have had to come from an extra sheet set. So where that sheet came from, I don’t know.”

And April’s sister said suicide would have been completely inconsistent with her movements in the previous 24 hours. A receipt shows she had purchased several items at Walmart the evening before, “like she was planning to prepare a meal.”

Later, April made a $33 purchase at a 7-Eleven, presumably to buy gas. And evidence seems to show she was getting ready to prepare some of the food she had bought at Walmart.

“There were four slices of bacon on the stove that she was getting ready to cook,” Simmons said.

For about four months, April had been seeing a boyfriend who had put her Toyota up on a jack. He left a mysterious note, saying he would let the car down once “I have the opportunity to right my wrongs, If not, I’ll take what’s mine and go. Call me and I’ll let the vehicle down.”

Simmons said Norfolk Police need to take a closer look at April’s boyfriend.

“That is crazy,” Simmons said. “And to me, that’s enough reason that he should be a red flag that they should question him. I don’t even believe that they’ve questioned him to this day.”

10 On Your Side is not naming him because he has not been charged.

“I think he should be a suspect,” Simmons said. “I don’t know what happened to her, but I do know that my sister didn’t do this to herself.”

Simmons said she told the detective working the case about a used condom in April’s wastebasket.

“And he said that it didn’t look fresh,” Simmons said. “But, you know, that wasn’t for him to determine because if nothing else, that condom places somebody in that apartment with her at some point.”

Simmons said a neighbor told her she had heard screams from April’s home when the boyfriend was there on previous occasions, but not the night before she died.

April had 14 years in the Navy, and just days before her death, she talked about making it to 20.
She had two children, ages 8 and 10.

“I know she wasn’t suicidal because she had plans of the future,” Simmons said. “She’s not here to speak for her, so we have to speak for her. And I know my sister did not do this, and I don’t want them to just push this off as another suicide.”

Norfolk Police said they couldn’t comment on specifics other than to confirm that the investigation remains open into the death of April Walden. They are asking anyone with information about April’s death to contact their homicide office directly at 757-664-7023.