Soldier's Mom Still Waiting for Answers in Son's Death

The mother of a 23-year-old soldier from Parsippany who was found dead in his hospital bed in March is still waiting for answers from the U.S. Army on how he died and growing frustrated, according to NJ.com.

U.S. Army Specialist Derek McConnell's body was discovered by his fiancee at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. The soldier had lost both of his legs in July 2011 after being wounded by an Improvised Explosive Device while serving in Afghanistan.

A Caldwell native and Bronze Star Medal recipient, McConnell was welcomed home to Parsippany, where he was living with his high school sweetheart, Krystina Dressler, in 2012. Town officials threw a hero's welcoming celebration attended by residents and elected officials, including Morris County Freeholder Hank Lyon, Mayor James Barberio, North Caldwell Mayor Joe Alessi, Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce, state Sen. Joseph Pennacchio and U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen.

But now, more than three months since his death, McConnell's mother, Siobhan Fuller-McConnell, has criticized the way the Army has communicated information about her son's death with her. Fuller-McConnell told NJ.com she feels she has been given "the runaround" when seeking information and was told she would have to wait until an investigation is complete to know the cause of Derek McConnell's death.

Frelinghuysen has assisted Fuller-McConnell in her quest for information, but she was told autopsy results were inconclusive and that testing is ongoing, NJ.com reported.