---
title: "Air Force identifies two airmen who were found dead at Spangdahlem Air Base"
description: "Two airmen who died recently at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, have been identified as Airmen First Class Xavier Leaphart and Aziess Whitehurst."
date: "2020-01-12"
modified: "2020-01-12"
authors:
  - name: "Jeff Schogol"
    job_title: "Senior Pentagon Reporter"
    link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/jeff-schogol/"
url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/spangdahlem-airmen-identified/"
categories:
  - "Air Force"
  - "Around the World"
  - "Europe"
  - "Military Branches"
  - "News"
tags:
  - "European Command"
---

# Air Force identifies two airmen who were found dead at Spangdahlem Air Base

![](<https://taskandpurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/22500666-1.jpg>)

Two airmen who died recently at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, have been identified as Airmen First Class Xavier Leaphart and Aziess Whitehurst, Air Force officials announced on Sunday.

Leaphart, 20, and Whitehurst, 20, were found unresponsive in a dorm around 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 9, [according to a news release from the 52nd Fighter Wing.](<https://www.spangdahlem.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2055153/follow-up-airmen-found-dead-in-dorms-on-spangdahlem/>) They were pronounced dead roughly 20 minutes later.

Both airmen were assigned to the the 52nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, the news release says.

No information about how they died was immediately available. Their deaths are currently under investigation.

Whitehurst is survived by his parents, Davin and Maria Whitehurst, the news release says. Leaphart is survived by his father, Malik Muhammad, and mother, Pamela Leaphart.

"It is always very difficult to lose valued members of our team," Col. David Epperson, 52nd Fighter Wing commander, said in the news release. "Our sincerest and heartfelt condolences go out to the friends and families that have been affected by this tragedy."

## Author
Jeff Schogol is the senior Pentagon reporter for Task & Purpose. He reports on both the Defense Department as a whole as well as individual services, covering a variety of topics that include personnel, policy, military justice, deployments, and technology.

### Author social links  
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[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-schogol-188a9317/>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/JeffSchogol>)