Second investigation provides new details on Durkin's death

A report by a military investigator at Afghanistan's Bagram Airbase, Lieutenant Colonel Linda Sahin, into the death of Army National Guard Corporal Ciara Durkin reveals new details about Durkin's apparent suicide in Sept. 2007.

The report concluded that Durkin's decision to take her own life was largely motivated by difficulties in a relationship she had with a female first lieutenant on the base; other contributing factors were mental health problems including adjustment disorder and anxiousness, and possibly the use of alcohol and drugs. Sahin found no definitive proof of whether the relationship between Durkin and the lieutenant, identified in the report as Rachael Travis, was physical, but the report concluded that it was likely a violation of regulations around senior-subordinate relationships and that Travis should have ended it before it became a problem. Members of Durkin's family had told the press after her death that they suspected she may have been murdered and that Durkin expressed concerns to them about her safety, but the report found that there was no indication Durkin had been murdered. The National Guard provided Bay Windows with a copy of the report in response to a Freedom of Information Act Request.

Durkin was a Quincy resident and an active member of Boston's LGBT community. Her body was found the evening of Sept. 27 behind the Bagram Airbase chapel, and investigators concluded that she died of a self-inflected gunshot wound to the head.

This is the second investigation into Durkin's death released by the military; in October Bay Windows reported on an investigation conducted by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (USACIDC) ("Army report on Durkin's death reveals suicide motive," Oct. 8). Both investigations concluded that Durkin had committed suicide, but the USACIDC investigation provided no formal conclusion about Durkin's motive for killing herself.

Based on interviews and sworn statements from military base personnel, Sahin concluded in her report that the primary cause of Durkin's suicide was her relationship with Travis. The report found that the two women socialized and watched movies in Durkin's quarters. Sahin said evidence suggested that Durkin wanted to pursue a romantic relationship with Travis and that she rejected her advances.

"The predominant factor that contributed [to Durkin's suicide] was she was upset with the relationship with [Travis]. Based on all the conversations and sworn statements ... CPL Durkin wanted more of a relationship than [Travis] appeared to be willing to give, and due to that rejection she could handle it no longer," wrote Sahin. She recommended that Travis, as the higher-ranking member, should be punished for allowing the relationship to go on and that her actions merited further investigation.

She wrote that mental health issues might have contributed to Durkin's decision to take her own life. Sahin found that Durkin had been diagnosed with adjustment disorder with anxious mood, a stress-related emotional disorder triggered by a difficult life event, and she "displayed ... personality traits which exhibit a pattern of problems in relationships, mood changes, risk taking behavior, easily feeling rejected and fears of abandonment." The report also found indications that there were drugs and alcohol in her system at the time of her death, which may have been a factor in her suicide.

As in the USACIDC investigation, Sahin's investigation found that Durkin sent text messages to Travis shortly before her death indicating her intention to kill herself.

Sahin wrote that there were no indicators that Durkin met with foul play. In the immediate aftermath of Durkin's death, before the completion of the military investigations, Durkin's family speculated that she may have been murdered and that she may have witnessed illegal activity in the air base's Finance Battalion, in which she served as the information management officer. Her brother, Pierce Durkin, told Bay Windows in October 2007 that when his sister was in the Boston area visiting her family in June of that year she told them "that she had some concerns about her safety and that if anything were to happen we were to investigate it." Another family member told the press Durkin may have been targeted because she was gay.

Sahin wrote that the source of Durkin's concerns about her safety might have been an incident in which $50,000 went missing from the Finance Battalion. Yet Sahin concluded that Durkin, who was "not a financial person," would not have been in a position to know the circumstances around the money's disappearance. Sahin wrote that based on interviews with witnesses who knew Durkin she had a "tendency to embellish" when telling stories and that she may have done so when talking to her family about the missing $50,000. When asked why Durkin told her family she was in danger, one of her coworkers told Sahin, "My opinion is that CPL Durkin wanted to feel more important. ... I feel she may have taken true events and added her own storyline."

Sahin referenced an incident detailed in the USACIDC investigation in which a male soldier pulled a gun on Durkin outside of her supervisor's quarters. Sahin agreed with USACIDC's conclusion that the soldier, who is not identified in either investigation, had not specifically targeted Durkin; he apparently pulled a gun on her because he believed she was spying on their quarters. Military police found hashish in the soldier's room, and he was removed from Bagram Airbase before Durkin's death. Several witnesses wrote in their statements that they did not believe Durkin's sexuality would have prompted anyone to target her.

The report also found that there were few overt indicators that Durkin planned to commit suicide. Colleagues said her mood typically swung from two extremes; she could be very positive and upbeat, or very depressed. But there were no red flags indicating her intentions, such as saying goodbye to colleagues, giving away her possessions, or leaving a note. USACIDC found an undated note on her computer, allegedly intended for Travis, hinting that she planned to kill herself, but Sahin did not say whether there was any evidence she had sent the note to Travis.

"Based on the interviews conducted, I do not think the unit could have done anything differently to prevent this incident from happening," wrote Sahin.

Pierce Durkin declined on behalf of her family to comment for this story. He directed Bay Windows to the family's statement on a memorial website they created for Durkin that reads, "We have borne an extraordinary amount of pain over the past nine months, compounded by a protracted and at times ambiguous investigation. We now need time and privacy to grieve, and let our Ciara finally rest in peace."

Despite their grief Durkin's family is continuing to celebrate her life. On Dec. 6 the family and supporters will celebrate the dedication of the Ciara Durkin Cancer Resource Center at Quincy Medical Center. The center will have Internet and research materials to allow people newly diagnosed with cancer to learn more about their condition. The dedication will also take place during the second annual Ciara Durkin Toy Drive on behalf of the charity Cradles to Crayons, and there will be a raffle to win an autographed Celtics Team Basketball, with proceeds benefiting the Quincy Crisis Center. The Boston Celtics have also loaned their World Championship Trophy for the event, and it will be on display in the new cancer resource center.

For more information on the dedication ceremony of the Ciara Durkin Cancer Resource Center visit www.ciaraweerabrat.com.