By Adam Allington, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – In addition to hearing testimony on Tuesday about the death of Army Ranger Pat Tillman, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform also asked the military to release information about the death of LaVena Johnson.
Private First Class LaVena Johnson died in Iraq in 2005. Initially the Army told her family that their daughter did not die in combat and did not commit suicide; now they're saying her death was in fact a suicide.
St. Louis Democrat William Lacy Clay sits on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
He says the circumstances surrounding LaVena Johnson's death warrant independent oversight.
"I'm just concerned about this pattern that continues to crop up in the case of LaVena Johnson, in the case of Pat Tillman and even in the case of Jessica Lynch."
The Johnson family refutes the Army's explanation and claim that their daughter was murdered.
Military officials told the oversight committee that they will turn over all information concerning Johnson's death.