Who was Logan Castello? Mom of Fort Hood soldier who killed himself with dog leash blames army base for death
The mother of a Fort Hood soldier who had killed himself is now blaming the army base for his death. Logan Castello had killed himself on November 20 last year after he was transferred to Fort Hood in Texas. His mother, Patty Troyan, revealed that there had been no indication that anything was wrong in the weeks leading up to his death.
While speaking to Daily Mail, Troyan shared that her son had always wanted to join the military and had wanted nothing else. Troyan said that at the age of just 7, Castello had dressed up in army camouflage for Halloween. He had attended basic training at Fort Benning located in Georgia after missing a spot at the Naval Academy. Troyan said, "Every time we spoke, he was happy and accomplished. He was in a leadership position in his unit and he was excited." However, after two months of being transferred to Fort Hood, Castello killed himself using a dog leash.
"I don't know what happened at Fort Hood, but it broke him. He left home excited, positive, motivated. He was proud to be going to Fort Hood and starting his career," Troyan said. "When he left for Fort Hood and I was hugging him on the front porch and I started to cry, he said: 'Mom, why are you crying?' He said: 'I'm gonna be fine. This is exciting. I can't wait to start my life.' I told him this was the first time in his life that I didn't know exactly when I would see him again."
It has been 10 months since his death and Troyan says she has still not received an autopsy report nor any explanation as to why her son had been seeing an army psychiatrist in the days before his death. She shared how they had recovered a prescription for Vistaril, which is a sedative used to treat anxiety as well as a prescription for beta-blocker in his belongings. "I'm not sure how many times, but I know he had been seeing a psychiatrist. We cannot get the records."
"He did not have any mental health history at all. There was nothing to indicate what was going to happen," she continued. According to Castello's widow, Kayla, Fort Hood cares much more about its equipment than it does of its soldiers. She also said that they will never know what exactly happened as 'demons' took over his head.
Days before his death, the couple had gone for a concert. "It was one of the happiest I had ever seen him. And the night before he took his life we took our dogs to the lake and we talked about how perfect it was and how happy we were. It was impossible seeing him ever doing such a thing." While Kayla does not directly blame the army base for her husband's death, she believes that they could have definitely done more to help him. "If you're a healthcare professional and your patient tells you they are having suicidal thoughts, you don't just pat them on the back and send them off for the day," she said.
Castello is one of 28 soldiers who have died at Fort Hood over the last year.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.