The death of a young sailor assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman has been ruled a suicide, nearly three weeks after his body was found in the water near the piers at Naval Station Norfolk.
Engineman Fireman Apprentice Isaac Benjamin Morris, 22, died from drowning, according to the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. His manner of death was determined to be suicide, according to local media reports on Monday.
Morris, from California, was last seen at Naval Station Norfolk on June 14 and was reported missing before authorities found his body on June 19. The discovery ended a search that involved the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Virginia State Police and local authorities.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service confirmed Tuesday that its investigation remains ongoing.
“We can confirm that the NCIS investigation into the death of Engineman Fireman Apprentice Isaac Benjamin Morris remains ongoing,” Meredith March, an NCIS public affairs specialist, told Military.com in a statement. “Out of respect for the investigative process, we are unable to provide more specific information at this time.”
March added that “the welfare of our Department of the Navy war fighters is at the core of the NCIS mission,” adding that the agency remains dedicated to working with law enforcement partners on investigations that support Navy and Marine Corps personnel, families and communities.
A Navy spokesperson told Military.com that Truman is supporting Morris’ family through the Casualty Assistance Calls Officer process. The Navy declined to discuss the specific details of that support, citing the family’s privacy.
The command is also supporting the crew through departmental and divisional chains of command, chaplains, medical and mental health services, and other support services, the spokesperson added.
“The loss of Engineman Fireman Apprentice Isaac Morris is felt across the entire Truman team,” Capt. Daniel Prochazka, commanding officer of the USS Harry S. Truman, said in a statement provided to Military.com. “Our hearts are with his family, friends, and shipmates, and we are committed to supporting them with care, dignity, and compassion during this difficult time.”
Military.com has also reached out to the Virginia medical examiner’s office for additional comment. No response was received.
A Young Sailor New to the Truman
Morris had been in the Navy for less than nine months.
He enlisted Oct. 14, 2025, and attended Recruit Training Command at Great Lakes, Ill., before reporting to Surface Warfare Engineering School Command, also at Great Lakes, on Dec. 18, 2025, according to biographical information released by the Navy.
Morris reported aboard the USS Harry S. Truman on April 3, meaning he had been assigned to the carrier for a little more than two months before he disappeared.
His official personnel record listed no awards or decorations, though the Navy noted that the list reflects only awards and citations present in his Official Military Personnel File and the Navy Department Awards Web Service site.
Morris’ disappearance triggered a Critically Missing Adult Alert from Virginia State Police, meaning his disappearance posed a credible threat to his health and safety. Such alerts are issued when law enforcement believes a missing adult may be in danger and the public’s help could assist investigators.
Another Norfolk Sailor Remains Missing
His death comes as NCIS continues searching for another sailor last seen at Naval Station Norfolk.
Culinary Specialist Seaman Apprentice Alexander Leo Schlageter, 26, assigned to the destroyer USS Ted Stevens, was last seen at the base on May 29, according to information released by Virginia State Police and local media reports.
NCIS has released little about Schlageter’s disappearance. Navy Times reported last month that the agency declined to provide further information because the case remained under investigation.
There is no public indication that Morris’ death and Schlageter’s disappearance are connected.
The two cases have drawn attention to Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest Navy base and a sprawling waterfront installation that serves as the home port for aircraft carriers, destroyers, amphibious ships and thousands of sailors.
For the Truman crew, Morris’ death comes just months after he reported aboard and little more than a year after the carrier returned from a combat deployment in the Middle East that included repeated operations against Houthi targets in Yemen. Morris was not aboard during that deployment, according to his Navy timeline.
Military Suicide Concerns Continue Across the Force
The medical examiner’s ruling places Morris’ death within a wider concern that has troubled the military for years.
A Pentagon report released earlier this year said 471 service members died by suicide in 2024, down from 531 in 2023. The report found that most service members who died by suicide were enlisted men under age 30.
The Navy has taken several steps in recent years to expand access to mental health care, including the implementation of the Brandon Act—which allows service members to request a mental health evaluation through their chain of command. The law was named for Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Caserta, a sailor who died by suicide in 2018.
For Morris’ family, friends and shipmates, the ruling leaves behind a painful final portrait: a 22-year-old sailor at the beginning of his Navy career is gone only weeks after reporting to one of the fleet’s most visible carriers.
Service members and veterans in crisis can call or text the Veterans/Military Crisis Line at 988 and press 1, or text 838255 for confidential support.
This is a developing story. Updates will be made as more information is released.
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