Captain Jamie Brunette committed suicide in Tampa less than a year after leaving active service in the U.S. Air Force. Her sister believes that Brunette was sexually assaulted while serving in Afghanistan. She was found dead in her car on February 9, close to her apartment.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Brunette Recently Broke Up With Her Boyfriend
The Tampa Tribune reports that Brunette killed herself with her Smith & Wesson .380 handgun. She bought the gun about six months before taking her own life. Brunette was locked inside her Chrysler 200 when she was found. The Tribune reports she had a history of alcohol abuse and had recently broken up with her boyfriend.
2. Her Business Partner Said Something Happened to Brunette That ‘Should Never Happen to a Human’
Her sister, Jackie Leverich, told Tampa Bay Online, “She had so much going for her. She was so full of hope and wonderment and passion and excitement for life.” Speaking about her sister’s time in Afghanistan, Leverich said, “She seemed upbeat but she wasn’t really giving us a whole lot of detail about life and what was going on.” Speaking about the assault, Leverich says, “I suspect she was assaulted, and she didn’t feel comfortable reporting it and for some reason internalized the incident so she could finisher her deployment, which she did with flying colors. It’s not anything she told me, just from talking with all her friends this past week, and piecing those things together. I am female active duty, 18 years in the Coast Guard. I am well aware of those issues, and that’s my gut feeling.”
Brunette’s business partner, Lt. Col Kurt Spranger told the Tampa Tribune “unequivocally I can say, yes, something happened, something that should never happen to a human.” Spranger didn’t say exactly what happened Brunette.
During her time in Afghanistan, ABC Action News featured Brunette in a piece on troops serving abroad during the holidays.
3. She Was Just About to Open a Gym
According to her Facebook page, Brunette was in the Air Force from June 2003 until her death. The Tampa Tribune reports that in June 2014, Brunette had opted to join the Air Force reserve. She was also the owner of a Orangetheory Fitness franchise in Largo, Florida. A photo on her Facebook page from January 28 shows Brunette wearing a hard hat doing construction work in a building. The caption reads, “Doing work today.”
4. While in the Air Force, She Was Responsible for Spending $150 Million Per Year
Brunette pictured on the left in April 2014. (Facebook)
She studied at Troy University in Alabama, according to her LinkedIn page. Her profile also goes into more detail about her military career. Between June 2003 and November 2009, she worked as a financial manager in the Air Force, where she helped save the agency $1 million per year through one of her programs. From there, she went to work as a contracting manager. In her last role, she was responsible for expenditure of $150 million.
5. An Obit for Brunette Says ‘The World Was at Her Fingertips’
(Go Fund Me)
A Go Fund Me page has been set up to afford Brunette the full “burial she deserves.” At the time of writing, the page has raised just over $20,000. The page notes that the VA contributed $1,500. The obit reads:
Jamie Brunette was a daughter, a sister, a friend, a captain, an entrepreneur and an inspiration. She was full of life; a shining star in a world that can be so dark. She lit up every room she entered with her smile; it radiated from her heart to her face.
It adds that she had a “burning passion for physical fitness and an entrepreneurial spirit.” She was “smart, ambitious and unstoppable. The world was at her fingertips.”