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An Air Force base in Oklahoma is tight-lipped after 17 people have died since the beginning of 2023, with an advocate for military families saying she'd made inquiries about a possible rash of suicides. 

Officials for the Air Force and the base have refused to reveal the nature of the deaths, saying only that there were 'various causes.'

DailyMail.com has reached out to the base for an explanation or names of the personnel who have died - but officials did not respond in time for this report. 

A number of the deaths are also still 'under investigation,' a spokesperson for the base said. A Military.com investigation suggested that 'they had been informed of deaths connected to base this year including potential suicides.' 

It's not clear how many of the deaths were service members or what their role was at the base, which has over 30,000 personnel on site. 

Tinker Air Force base in Oklahoma is tight-lipped after 17 people have died since the beginning of 2023

There is little information or news articles about the people who have died at the base. Only an obituary for Senior Airperson Tyler Jo Law, who died on May 28, listed her at being at the base. 

The obituary did not reveal a cause of death.

Government employees, contractors and civilians all make up the Oklahoma base's workforce. 

A source told Military.com that there were potential COVID-19 deaths in addition to suicides.

'We are deeply saddened by the losses we have experienced at Tinker Air Force Base,' Col. Abby Ruscetta, the installation commander, said in a statement. 

'Our focus moving forward is to let everyone know we value them, and we stand together as a team.' 

Ann Stefanek, a spokesperson for the Air Force, said the Department of Defense is responsible for any statistics highlighting suicides on bases but they are never released with specific numbers pertaining to each military branch.

There is also no law preventing an individual base from releasing numbers of deaths.

Senior Airperson Tyler Jo Law died on the base May 28

It's not clear how many of the deaths were service members or what their job was at the base, which has over 30,000 personnel on site

Tinker is located in Oklahoma City and also is home to some Naval facilities and the Defense Logistics Agency.  

The Air Force reported 17 suicides across the entire force between January 1 and March 31 of this year, according to the Department of Defense. 

Kimberly Woodruff, the spokeswoman for the base, said it is  'committed to fostering a culture that values and encourages help-seeking behavior and enhances individual confidence.

'Tinker Air Force Base officials have engaged with our people following the recent losses of life and has a network of helping agencies to include mental health counselors, chaplains, and Military Family Readiness professionals,' she added.

Teri Caserta, an activist on behalf of military families after her son committed suicide in 2018, said she's seen social media posts suggesting a rash of suicides at Tinker. 

'Tinker does not have to disclose the names of the airmen/women who have died, but I believe we as citizens who have service members and who have children looking into serving our country deserve to know why and how airmen/women are dying,' Caserta said

'We need to know that the Air Force takes all deaths as seriously as they claim and, if there is toxicity within the ranks at Tinker, they all should be held accountable for these deaths whether they are suicides or not.' 

The Air Force announced two weeks ago that it was updating its mental health policies related to the law named after Caserta's son Brandon, which passed in 2022. 

At least five crewmembers aboard the USS George Washington (pictured) were confirmed to have died by suicide. There have been others who have tried but failed to kill themselves 

A source told Military.com that there were potential COVID-19 deaths in addition to suicides

Both the Army and Navy have been upfront about what were described as 'suicide clusters' in recent years.

Last year, the Navy moved 260 sailors off the USS George Washington following multiple deaths and suicides aboard.

In the year before the announcement, the ship had lost seven crewmembers. In April alone, the ship suffered three apparent suicides. 

The base also named each of the crew members who had died, in contrast with the levels of transparency shown by the Air Force. 

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