Body of missing Fort Hood soldier, 23, is 'found hanging from a tree' after he alleged sexual abuse at troubled base which has now been linked to at least 15 deaths this year alone

  • Local police said ID found by the body indicates it may be Sergeant Fernandes
  • He had transferred units after reporting sexual abuse, officials said on Sunday 
  • The disappearance of Fernandes shed light on a string of tragedies that have plagued the Texas Army base; 15 soldiers connected to base have died this year
The body of a missing soldier is believed to have been found about 30 miles from Fort Hood, the Army base in Texas where he was stationed, police said yesterday.
Identification found with the body in Temple, Texas, indicates the man may be missing Fort Hood soldier Sgt. Elder Fernandes, according to a statement from local police. Forensic confirmation is pending.  
The disappearance of Fernandes shed light on the string of tragedies and deaths that have plagued the Texas Army base. It follows the deaths of 15 other soldiers connected to Fort Hood this year alone; foul play is suspected in five of them. 
The string of disappearances and deaths at the base led the US Army Secretary to launch an investigation into the base last month. At the time, Secretary Ryan McCarthy said that Fort Hood had one of the highest rates of murder, sexual assault and harassment in the Army.   
Temple police received a medical call at 5.36pm saying a male had been seen near some railroad tracks, according to the statement. When officers arrived, they determined the man was dead. 
Foul play is not suspected, police said, but the investigation is ongoing. An autopsy has been ordered.
'Our thoughts and prayers are with the Fernandes family during this challenging time,' Temple Police Chief Shawn Reynolds said.
Natalie Khawam, who is representing the Fernandes family, said Army police told family members about the discovery late last night. She said the body was found hanging in a tree. 
This photo provided by the U.S. Army shows Sgt. Elder Fernandes. The body of missing Fort Hood soldier Sgt. Fernandes is believes to have been found around 30 miles from Fort Hood in Texas
This photo provided by the U.S. Army shows Sgt. Elder Fernandes. The body of missing Fort Hood soldier Sgt. Fernandes is believes to have been found around 30 miles from Fort Hood in Texas 
Fernandes was last seen on Monday afternoon when his staff sergeant dropped him off at his home in Killeen - just four miles from the Fort Hood base
Fernandes was a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist with the 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade at the Central Texas Army installation
Fernandes was last seen on Monday afternoon when his staff sergeant dropped him off at his home in Killeen - just four miles from the Fort Hood base
Fernandes was discharged from a hospital on August 17 and was dropped off at this address in Killeen, Texas, where family said he previously lived
Fernandes was discharged from a hospital on August 17 and was dropped off at this address in Killeen, Texas, where family said he previously lived 
Fernandes' backpack was with him, Khawam said, and police found the 23-year-old man's driver's license inside.
Fernandes was reported missing by Killeen and U.S. Army police on August 19 after he was last seen on August 17, when officials said a superior dropped him off at his house. 
Fort Hood said in a statement over the weekend that Fernandes had transferred units after reporting sexual abuse, an Army official said in a statement.
Fort Hood officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. The Army and the Fernandes family, from Massachusetts, had asked the public for help in finding the missing soldier. 
Fernandes' older brother, Elton, told ABC News that his sibling had confided in him a month ago that the abuse consisted of another man grabbing his buttocks, but he reassured Elton that he was 'taking care of it.'
Khawam, a lawyer representing the family of Vanessa Guillen, another Fort Hood soldier who went missing and was found dead, and now the Fernandes family, told ABC News that Elder got 'very, very depressed' after being sexually harassed while working in a supply room in April.   
'I am saddened that another soldier who served the country has been destroyed by sexual assault and sexual harassment and this toxic culture in the military that exists,' Khawam added.  
Fernandes was admitted to an on-base hospital on August 11 for an unspecified reason. He remained there until August 17, which marked the last time he was seen by anyone.   
His mother and aunt told ABC News that they spoke to him several times during his hospitalization, including on the eve of his last sighting, but he was vague as to his condition.
‘Finding Sgt Elder Fernandes safe and resuming the care he was receiving before his recent absence remains the top priority of the 1st Cavalry Division,’ the unit’s statement from Sunday read. 
According to the release, soldiers from Fernandes’ unit have spent the past week thoroughly searching parking lots, barracks and buildings on the base.
'Additionally, soldiers have visited local hotels and hospitals throughout central Texas and continue to expand their search efforts,' the statement read. 
Police said Fernandes was last seen Monday when his staff sergeant dropped him off at his home in Killeen.
But his aunt, Isabel Fernandes, said that is not her nephew's current address. His former roommate at the residence reportedly told the family he had not lived there for some time, and he never entered the home on Monday.    
Fernandes' disappearance comes a year after the disappearance of Pfc. Gregory Morales, 24, a Fort Hood soldier who was reported missing on August 20, 2019. 
His remains were found June 21 in a field in Killeen, near Fort Hood. Killeen police and Army officials are still investigating his death and foul play is suspected. 
Fort Hood soldier, Pfc. Gregory Morales, was reported missing from the base a year ago on August 20, 2019. The 24-year-old's remains were found on June 21 in a field in Killeen
On July 1, Army officials found human remains that were later identified as those 20-year-old Pfc. Vanessa Guillén - a Fort Hood soldier who had been missing since April
Fort Hood soldier, Pfc. Gregory Morales (left), was reported missing from the base a year ago on August 20, 2019. The 24-year-old's remains were found on June 21 in a field in Killeen. Then on July 1, Army officials found human remains that were later identified as those 20-year-old Pfc. Vanessa Guillén (right) - a Fort Hood soldier who had been missing since April
His disappearance follows the deaths of 11 Fort Hood soldiers this year alone. Of the 11 deaths, foul play is suspected in five of those. An independent investigation is currently underway into the embattled army base (above) following the string of deaths and disappearance

Vanessa Guillén´s body was found a week later in July after her disappearance in April.  
Fellow soldier Spc. Aaron Robinson, 20, killed and dismembered Guillén and had the remains disposed of in nearby woods, federal and state investigators said.  
Robinson killed himself July 1, the day Guillén's remains were found, officials said. 
Cecily Aguilar, 22, of Killeen, has been accused of disposing of Guillén's remains for Robinson and has been charged with three federal conspiracy counts related to the soldier's death. 
She has pleaded not guilty.
Guillén´s family has said she was sexually harassed by the soldier suspected of killing her, but the Army has said there is no evidence to support that. There is an ongoing investigation.  
The other soldiers to have died this year include: Pvt. Mejhor Morta; Spc. Francisco Gilberto Hernandezvargas; Pfc. Brandon Scott Rosecrans; Spc. Freddy Delacruz Jr; Spc. Christopher Wayne Sawyer; and Spc. Shelby Tyler Jones.
The two most recent deaths linked to the base include Sgt. Bradley Moore, 36, who died at the base during a training exercise last week. He was with the Texas Army National Guard.  
Spc. Cole Jakob Aton, 22, was also killed last week while assisting at the scene of a car accident near the base. He had been standing on the road trying to direct traffic around the crash when he was hit by a car. 
Aton had previously shared petitions and posts on social media demanding answers into the deaths and disappearances at the Fort Hood base.  
Meanwhile, two Fort Hood soldiers were among the nine people arrested earlier this month in a massive child prostitution sting. 
Anthony Xavier Antwon, 25, and Timmy Jones Jr., 30, were allegedly caught trying to pay minors for sex over social media. 
They are accused of contacting police posing as 15 and 16-year-old girls on social media and arranging to meet them for sex. 
Police allege the men were willing to pay the girls in cash, drugs or alcohol.
They were arrested when they arrived at the arranged locations to meet who they thought were the underage girls.       
U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said in a visit to Fort Hood earlier this month that the Central Texas base had some of the highest numbers of sexual assault, harassment and murder. 
He ordered an independent probe of Fort Hood in July, after authorities said Guillen was slain.

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