ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Tribune News Service) — A midshipman died Tuesday night while on leave, the Naval Academy announced Wednesday.

The academy is withholding the name of the midshipman for 24 hours in order to allow for next of kin notification, according to a press release from the academy. No additional details were provided about the midshipman.

A cause of death is under investigation, according to the release. The Naval Academy coaches, faculty, staff and brigade of midshipmen were notified shortly before the public announcement.

The academy is supporting friends, family and loved ones of the late midshipman. The institution will also have counseling services and support available to faculty, coaches, staff and midshipmen through chains of command, chaplains and the Midshipman Development Center.

This is the 14th midshipman death in eight years, and the second in a year’s time at the academy, according to previous Capital reporting. Midshipman 1st Class John Johnson died in December 2020 while on leave.

Johnson is the first midshipman to receive his posthumous degree under a new policy that allows midshipmen who have met the academic requirements for their degrees and are approved by the academic board.

Midshipman 1st Class David Forney and Midshipman 3rd Class Duke Carrillo died in February 2020. Forney, of Walkersville, Maryland, was found unresponsive in his dormitory room Feb. 20. Carrillo, 21, collapsed while taking a physical readiness test Feb. 8 and was later pronounced deceased at Anne Arundel Medical Center.

The midshipman will be the fourth off-duty/recreational death in 2021 for the United States Navy, according to the Naval Safety Center statistics. Nine members of the Navy, including Johnson, died while off-duty in 2020.

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