Marine's mysterious death in Bahrain prompts SoCal family to demand answers from military officials

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- A Thousand Oaks family is demanding answers after the mysterious death of a Marine overseas. Corporal Branden Javier Alvarez's loved ones say the military is calling his death a suicide, but his mother believes he met with foul play.

Maria Cruz says she got the dreaded knock at the door from the Marine Corps in June, informing her that her 22-year-old son had taken his own life.

Cruz says military officials told her they found her son in his closet in his room at his barracks at the Marine base in Bahrain, hanging lifelessly with a belt around his neck on June 6. She refuses to believe her boy killed himself.

"My son did not kill himself," she said adamantly. "My son did not kill himself."

Cruz says her son never indicated to her he was depressed or sad. She claims a preliminary autopsy report from the military, which has yet to be released to her, concludes that her son committed suicide.

However, she says a second private autopsy that she paid to have done, which has yet to be fully released to her, shows otherwise. She claims the second autopsy shows injuries on her son's neck indicating he had been strangled to death.

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Asked by ABC7 if she believed that someone hanged Alvarez with a belt, Cruz replied: "Yes, yes. Not only that, we saw my son. My son was dragged, my son had burns on his toes. My son had a big bruise on his chest."

Cruz says she's questioned the Marine Corp about the conflicting autopsies and officials will only tell her that her son's death remains under investigation.

Emily Alvarez says when that she was depressed from being bullied at school, her brother told her to find a healthy way to overcome it.

Emily says her brother was a happy, positive person who loved the Marine Corps. She says he would never take his own life.

"My freshman year going into high school, he told me: 'To hurt yourself, to not live life, like, not be grateful for your life, is idiotic. It's selfish. It's a sin.'"

Cruz says that until she gets concrete answers surrounding son's death, she will keep pushing for the truth that she firmly believe has yet to be disclosed.