An army specialist stationed in Germany has claimed in a viral TikTok that she feared for her life after the death of a fellow soldier under mysterious circumstances.
“If I end up dead, I am not suicidal,” the soldier, who identified herself as Specialist Thomas from the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, said in the 6 October clip. “I’m a perfectly normal individual and I feel like they’re trying to kill me.”
Ms Thomas said she notified her superiors and family about concerns for her safety after the death of Denisha Montgomery in her barracks in Germany on 9 August.
Montgomery’s death was ruled as suicide by the army, but her family are disputing the finding and have told NewsNation they have evidence that she was assaulted by fellow military police officers 21 days prior to her death.
Her family were initially told the cause of death was suicide, but a casualty report from the Army has since listed her “category of death” as “pending”.
The army has since clarified that German authorities ruled Montgomery’s death a suicide by strangulation.
In a statement to NewsNation, the army said it would release a “comprehensive update” to the family once their investigation was complete.
In the TikTok, which has been viewed eight million times and received 1.5 million likes, Ms Thomas said she had alerted senior officers about her safety concerns after noticing that a key to her room was missing from a master box on the barracks.
“No one’s helping me,” she said. “I just want to leave safely. I don’t want to end up dead in Germany.”
She has since posted several updates and TikTok lives to thank viewers for their concern. On 9 October, she said leadership in her unit had seen the video and her locks were being changed.
In a subsequent post, Ms Thomas said the Army had “pushed her out”. On 21 October, Ms Thomas posted a homecoming clip to TikTok showing her returning to the United States.
In a statement to The Independent, Major Vonnie Wright, a spokesman with the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, confirmed that Ms Thomas was serving with the unit in Germany.
Maj. Wright said that Ms Thomas had not filed any personal complaints with her commanders, that they took the allegations seriously, and were helping her to transition back to civilian life.
The Independent has attempted to reach Ms Thomas.
