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Body believed to be of missing soldier Elder Fernandes found

2020-08-26T19:31:12.509Z


Authorities are awaiting forensic confirmation, but police said identification found on the body indicates that it is Sgt Elder Fernandes.


(CNN) –– A body believed to be Elder Fernandes, a missing Fort Hood soldier, has been found.

Authorities await forensic confirmation, but police said identification found on the body indicates that it is Sgt. Fernandes.

"At this initial stage of the investigation, there is no evidence of a crime," police in Temple, Texas, said in a statement.

Agents were dispatched this Tuesday, around 6 pm, to respond to a medical call on a railroad track, about 25 miles from the Texas military base.

  • LEE: Missing soldier Elder Fernandes was the victim in an investigation into "abusive sexual contact"

“A caller reported that he had observed a man near the train tracks. Upon the arrival of the agents, it was determined that the subject had died some time ago, "according to the statement.

“Identification found at the scene indicates that the victim may be 23-year-old Missing Fort Hood Private Elder Fernandes. However, no forensic confirmation has been made at this time, ”police said.

Fernandes, 23, disappeared from the base on August 17. The soldier was transferred to a different unit because he was the victim in an investigation into "abusive sexual contact," the Army said.

The move sought to ensure that Fernandes "received proper care and to ensure that there were no opportunities for retaliation," said Lt. Col. Chris Brautigam, a public affairs officer for the 1st Cavalry Division.

Attorney Natalie Khawam, who represents the soldier's family, called the news of the body's discovery "our worst nightmare."

“We are disgusted by this tragedy that has happened too many times. We are heartbroken for Elder Fernandes's family, ”Khawam tweeted.

According to Fort Hood, Fernandes is a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 553rd Combat Maintenance Support Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division Maintenance Brigade. Finding him is a "top priority for the Division," the Fort Hood statement said at the time.

This year there have been several incidents in which Fort Hood soldiers disappeared and died. Perhaps the most prominent case was the murder of Vanessa Guillén. The main suspect in her disappearance, another Fort Hood soldier, committed suicide when confronted by investigators, according to the Criminal Investigation Division (CID).

  • LEE: Private Vanessa Guillén was beaten to death in an Army military base, says a family lawyer

Following his death, the Army announced an independent review board of five civilians who would verify the "command environment and culture" at Fort Hood.

Some soldiers have died under mysterious circumstances, including Gregory Scott Morales, whose remains were found in a Killeen camp in mid-June, ten months after he disappeared. Fort Hood said in a statement at the time that a crime was suspected in his death.

We won't stop until we find out what happened to Elder. We demand a Congressional investigation into Fort. Hood. We must protect our soldiers! We demand justice for Elder, "Khawam said in another tweet.

Dakin Andone, Nicole Chavez, Kay Jones, Raja Razek, Ray Sanchez, and Alta Spells, all from CNN, contributed to this report.

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Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2020-08-26

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