Three sailors who served on the same aircraft carrier in Virginia have turned up dead within a week, military officials said Tuesday.
A sailor was found unresponsive on board the USS George Washington this past Friday, as the carrier is being overhauled at the Newport News Shipbuilding, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Robert Myers said in a statement to NBC News.
That unidentified sailor was taken to Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News where the service member was pronounced dead.
That follows the cases of two sailors who "were found deceased" on April 9 and 10 in separate incidents, Myers said.
There are no immediate signs that these three deaths are connected to each other, officials said.
"I don't believe that they (Navy investigators) are aware of any indications that they are related," John Kirby, Pentagon press secretary, told reporters.
"That's what they believe right now and I think we need to give them time to properly investigate these deaths."
The Navy identified the sailor who died on April 9, off base in Portsmouth, as Retail Services Specialist 3rd Class Mikail Sharp.
Interior Communications Electrician 3rd Class Natasha Huffman was found dead, also off base, in Hampton on Apr. 10, authorities said.
"The Navy is cooperating with NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) and local authorities where these incidents have occurred to determine the facts," according to a Navy statement.
