The Army is asking the public for help in its search for a missing soldier from Fort Hood, Texas, exactly one year after another soldier disappeared from the same base.
“We are looking for your help in locating Sgt. Older Fernandes, ”read a warning from the Fort Hood Twitter account as well as other Army accounts. “Our primary concern is to ensure its safety and well-being.”
Police in Killeen, the town near Fort Hood, said Fernandes, 23, had not been heard from his family since Monday and was missing Wednesday.
Family members told police he was last seen Monday afternoon by his staff sergeant when he dropped him off at his home in Killeen.
His mother, Ailiana Fernandes, told NBC News that he had been in the hospital four or five days before he was discharged, although she did not know why he was in the hospital.
The disappearance of Fernandes, a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist with the 1st Cavalry Division Sustained Brigade, is the third such disappearance at Fort Hood in a year.
Spc. Vanessa Guillén, 20, was lost to the base in late April and her remains, found buried June 30 20 miles away from Ford Hood by a lake, were discovered after the story gained national media attention.
Authorities suspect another soldier, Aaron Robinson, in Guillén’s death, although Robinson killed him on July 1 after he was confronted by police.
His girlfriend, Cecily Ann Aguilar, is accused of conspiracy to prove with evidence by aiding in the removal of Guillén’s body. She pleaded not guilty earlier this month.
Fernandes also misses exactly one year after Fort Hood soldier Pfc. Gregory Wedel-Morales, 24, who was missing August 20, 2019.
The remains of Wedel-Morales were found in a field in Killeen in June and his death is being investigated.
The Army has since appointed an independent review panel, consisting of five experts, who will investigate whether staff at Ford Hood can adopt a climate of sexual harassment and discrimination on the basis.
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