The U.S. Army is asking the public for help in its search for another missing soldier from Fort Hood, Texas.
Army officers at Fort Hood issued a missing soldier’s alarm for Sgt. Aldere Fernandes, 23.
“Our primary concern is for his health and well-being,” the army said in the warning.
Police in nearby Killeen, who are also investigating, said he was reported missing Wednesday. Family members told police he was last seen or heard from Monday afternoon when his staff sergeant attacked him at his home in Killeen.
The soldier, whose family is originally from Cape Verde in West Africa, had been in hospital for four or five days before his disappearance, Eiliana Fernandes, Elder’s mother, told NBC News. It is not yet clear to her why her son was in the hospital, she said.
Ailiana, who lives in Massachusetts, traveled to Fort Hood to find out about her son’s whereabouts. “At the moment I do not get any answers,” she said.
Fernandes is a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist with the 1st Cavalry Division Sustained Brigade at the installation of the Central Texas Army. He was last seen wearing black army training shorts and a T-shirt with red athletic shoes, according to Killeen police.
Tipsters are asked to contact Fort Hood Military Police at 254-288-1170 or the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command at 254-287-2722. People can also contact the Killeen Police Department at 254-200-7905.
Fort Hood has been in the spotlight following reports from other missing soldiers, most notably Spc. Vanessa Guillén, 20, whose remains were later found after extensive national attention.
Fernandes’ disappearance comes exactly one year after another Fort Hood soldier, Pfc. Gregory Wedel-Morales, 24, was reported on August 20, 2019.
The remains of Wedel-Morales were found on June 21 in a field in Killeen, just over 10 miles from Stillhouse Hollow Lake. Killeen police are still investigating his death.
Army officials found Guillén’s remains on July 1, more than two months after she went missing in late April. Her remains were found on the Leon River in Bell County, about 20 miles east of Fort Hood.
Federal and state authorities said Spc. Aaron Robinson, 20, killed and dismantled Guillén and had left the remains in nearby woods. Robinson, a colleague of Fort Hood, died by suicide July 1 after the remains of Guillén were found, officials said.
Cecily Aguilar, 22, of Killeen, is accused of helping Robinson remove Guillén’s body and is accused of three federal conspiracy theories related to Guillén’s death. Aguilar, who pleads “not guilty”, will appear in court Sept. 28.
Army officials have also found the bodies of other Fort Hood soldiers in recent months.
Pvt. Mejhor Morta, 26, was found irresponsible on July 17 near Stillhouse Hollow Lake, a reservoir managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Fort Worth District, according to Fort Hood officials. Earlier this month, Fort Hood officials said they were removing Spc’s body. Francisco Gilberto Hernandez-Vargas, 24, after a boat accident on the lake August 2.
Army leaders have delayed the planned transfer of Major General Scott Efflandt, the commander of Fort Hood, to a more prestigious mission in Fort Bliss, Texas, while a team of independent investigators determined if leadership failure contributed to the deaths and disappearance. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy has commented that Fort Hood has one of the highest rates of homicide, sexual assault and harassment in the military.
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United Press contributed.
