Her death was controversially ruled as a suicide but the evidence of rape and battery led her family to believe the United States Department of Defense covered it up.
[5] The autopsy report and photographs revealed Johnson had a broken nose, black eye, loose teeth, burns from a corrosive chemical on her genitals, and a gunshot wound to her mouth that seemed inconsistent with suicide.
Christopher Grey, chief of public affairs for the U.S. Criminal Investigative Command for the Army, has said that the case remains closed as far as they are concerned[needs update].
This was followed by the creation of an official LaVena Johnson website dedicated to developments in prompting a new Army investigation of her death.
The CCIRI's crime scene reconstruction aimed to help shed light on this case that has attracted worldwide attention.
In a phone interview with St. Louis Public Radio, McCollum said that she faults the Army for poor communication, but she does not disagree with its conclusion.