Daily Mail
The flag-draped coffin of Major Kyle Tafel, 36, who had served for 17 years in the Georgia Army National Guard, was brought back to the United States on Wednesday, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
According to his father, Kevin Tafel of Smyrna, Georgia, Kyle flew to Belarus with two of his aunts – one of whom was there to compete in a weightlifting competition.
‘He was there to support her and in a way, I think to try to protect them, he knew it was a rough neighborhood,’ Kevin Tafel told Fox 5 Atlanta.
Towards the end of their trip, Kyle became embroiled in an altercation with security staff at the casino of the hotel in which they were staying, according to his father.
‘He told his aunts, “They were out for blood”. Out of fear, they barricaded the door so nobody could get in or out,’ said Tafel.
Three hours later, police came to the hotel and informed the two aunts that Kyle’s body was found on a nearby sidewalk.
‘Kyle’s body had been tossed off the roof or the balcony,’ said Kevin Tafel.
The father said that there has been no communication with the authorities in Belarus, according to WSB-TV.
‘I have not asked any questions, I have not received any answers. All the answers in the world is not going to bring Kyle back,’ said Kevin Tafel.
Kyle Tafel is scheduled to be buried Friday at Georgia National Cemetery.