New details have emerged about the death ofKyle Van De Water, a former New York congressional candidate whose body was found on Tuesday at the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery.
Hudson Valley 360reports that police are investigating Water’s death as a suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
According toThePoughkeepsie Journal,officers who first arrivedat the cemetery “were responding to a report of a man with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.” (Investigators did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.)
Van De Water, a U.S. Army veteran and associate at Poughkeepsie law firm Corbally, Gartland and Rappleyea, was found dead after police responded to reports of a “man down,“TheNew York Postand thePoughkeepsie Journal,reported. He was 41.
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Kyle Van De Water.
A University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Albany Law School graduate, Van De Water served in the Army for eight years. He was deployed in Afghanistan and was awarded the Bronze Star in 2011, according to his congressionalwebsite.
He had unsuccessfully campaigned for New York’s 19th Congressional District, losing to Rep. Antonio Delgado in November. He sought a 2022 rematch, but abruptly withdrew from the race on July 12.
In astatement, Delgado expressed his condolences to Van De Water’s family and included contact information for the Veterans Crisis Line, a suicide prevention hotline.
“My heart breaks for Kyle, and his beautiful family,” Delgado’s statement read. “We shared a number of conversations about family and country, and I walked away from each one knowing that he had a profound love for both.”
The statement continued: “I know he will be immensely missed, and I’m praying for all who loved him — his friends, fellow soldiers, and family. Kyle’s death is tragically felt not only on an individual level, but also nationally, as far too many veterans across our country are going without the support and care that their service to our great land undoubtedly necessitates.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go tosuicidepreventionlifeline.org.
source: people.com
