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Navy: No Apparent Foul Play In Michigan Marine Recruit's Boot Camp Death

PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. (AP/WWJ) - Navy investigators say there are no apparent signs of foul play in the death of a Marine recruit who died after falling in a barracks stairwell at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Parris Island.

Naval Criminal Investigative Service spokesman Ed Buice said the investigation is continuing into the death of 20-year-old Raheel Siddiqui of Taylor, Michigan.

"NCIS does not discuss the details of ongoing investigations, but I can confirm that (Siddiqui's) death is due to injuries sustained in a nearly 40 foot fall in a barracks stairwell," Buice told The Island Packet of Hilton Head.

Siddiqui was undergoing basic training when he fell in a stairwell March 18, just seven days after he arrived at boot camp. Buice says there are no apparent signs of foul play but NCIS investigations usually take several months.

Each year, about 19,000 recruits come to Parris Island in South Carolina for 12 weeks of basic training. The depot trains male recruits from east of the Mississippi River and all female Marine recruits.

A handful of recruits have died at Parris Island over the years. In 2005, a 19-year-old recruit drowned after struggling to pass a combat water survival test. A year later, another recruit died after a physical fitness test.

TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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