No foul play suspected in death of paratrooper found in his Fort Bragg barracks room

By Rebekah Riess, CNN

No foul play is suspected in the death of an 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper who was found unresponsive in his barracks room at Fort Bragg and pronounced dead on Friday, 82nd Airborne Division public affairs officer Maj. Russell Gordon said Wednesday.

Pfc. Mikel Rubino, 29, was declared dead by emergency medical services upon their arrival, a release Monday from the 82nd Airborne Division public affairs office said. Gordan said Wednesday that there are currently no “significant updates” in the investigation into Rubino’s cause of death or circumstances surrounding the death.

“The loss of Mikel to his family, friends, and fellow Paratroopers is a tragedy,” Col. Phillip J. Kiniery III, commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, said Monday. “We mourn Mikel’s passing alongside his family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them all during this difficult time.”

According to Monday’s release, Rubino joined the Army in 2020 and arrived at Fort Bragg in 2021. His awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and the Army Parachutist Badge.

This story has been updated with additional developments Wednesday.

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CNN’s Gregory Lemos and Paul LeBlanc contributed to this report.