Physique Of Lacking Fort Hood Soldier Elder Fernandes Discovered A Week After Disappearance : NPR
Sgt. Elder Fernandes was final seen by members of his unit on Aug. 17.
U.S. Military through AP
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U.S. Military through AP
Sgt. Elder Fernandes was final seen by members of his unit on Aug. 17.
U.S. Military through AP
The physique of lacking Fort Hood soldier Elder Fernandes was discovered on Tuesday evening, a couple of week after the 23-year-old sergeant was final seen.
The information was first introduced by the household’s lawyer Natalie Khawam on Wednesday. It was confirmed by Fort Hood, a army base in Killeen, Texas, later within the afternoon.
Fort Hood stated Fernandes, a local of Brockton, Mass., was discovered deceased close to Lake Polk in Temple, Texas, about 30 miles from the bottom. He had been reported lacking on Aug. 18.
“Our worst nightmare has occurred,” Khawam stated.
The bottom stated in a press release on Friday that Fernandes was final seen by members of his unit at a residence in Killeen, Texas. on Aug. 17 and didn’t report back to work the next day as scheduled. It added that Fernandes’ solely recognized automobile was positioned on base at his unit’s parking zone, and data gathered from different troopers recommended he had left on his personal accord.
Fort Hood stated Fernandes’ disappearance sparked a radical search in Central Texas, with members of his base scouring hospitals and inns. His household additionally traveled from Massachusetts to Texas to assist search for him.
Ailina Fernandes instructed The Boston Globe that her son had been hospitalized on Aug. 11 for causes she didn’t know, and was reportedly given a trip house by a employees sergeant when he was discharged on Aug. 17. His members of the family have publicly questioned the bottom’s narrative that he left on his personal volition.
Lt. Col. Chris Brautigam, a 1st Cavalry Division public affairs officer, stated final week that Fernandes had beforehand transferred items after reporting sexual abuse, and that an investigation into the allegation remained open.
In response to Khawam, Fernandes was sexually assaulted by his sergeant, then “bullied and hazed for reporting it.”
She stated at a press convention that she discovered his physique had been discovered on Tuesday evening.
Police in Temple stated in a press release late Tuesday {that a} caller initially alerted first responders that there was a person alongside the railroad tracks. Upon their arrival, officers “decided that the topic had been deceased for some time period.”
Police stated that identification discovered on the scene indicated the sufferer could also be Fernandes — although they have been awaiting forensic affirmation — and expressed condolences to his household. They stated there was no indication of foul play.
Khawam stated the physique was discovered hanging in a tree, and {that a} backpack on the scene had Fernandes’ driver’s license inside.
“We’re heartbroken for Elder Fernandes’ household and sickened by this tragedy that has occurred too many occasions at Fort Hood,” she stated, alluding to a string of latest deaths and disappearances involving troopers on the base.
Khawam additionally represents the household of Spc. Vanessa Guillen, a Fort Hood soldier who went lacking in April and whose stays have been recognized in July. Her household says she was the goal of sexual harassment. Military officers stated that one suspect within the case killed himself, and one other was arrested and charged with one rely of conspiracy to tamper with proof.
Guillen was the third service member from the bottom to be discovered useless this summer season. And in her assertion, Khawam stated Fernandes is the thirteenth Fort Hood soldier to have “vanished or been killed” this yr.
In its assertion, Fort Hood stated there was no connection between Fernandes’ disappearance and another ongoing circumstances on the base.
Final month, Khawam and the Guillen household launched the #IAmVanessaGuillen invoice, which might permit lively responsibility service members to file claims of sexual harassment and assault to an outdoor third occasion.
Additionally in July, the military named a five-person civilian panel to conduct a overview of the tradition at Fort Hood.
Fernandes, who was born in Cape Verde in West Africa, joined the Military in Sept. 2016. He was a chemical, organic, radiological and nuclear specialist assigned to the Headquarters and Headquarters Firm, 553rd Fight Sustainment Help Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade.
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