Army charges 21-year-old private with killing sergeant found in dumpster

The Army Office of Special Trial Counsel charged a 21-year-old soldier successful the death of a sergeant recovered successful a Missouri dumpster.

Specialist Wooster Rancy from Florida successful being held successful transportation to the sidesplitting of 5th Engineer Battalion Sgt. Sarah Roque, subject officials said. The hunt for Roque began Oct. 21 erstwhile the 23-year-old Indiana autochthonal didn’t study for enactment astatine Fort Leonard Wood successful the Missouri Ozarks.

Her assemblage was recovered that nighttime extracurricular an on-base lodging area. She is believed to person been killed anterior to the missed formation.

“Sergeant Roque was a daughter, sister, person and Soldier who chose to service our state bravely and honorably,” Fort Leonard Wood commanding wide Maj. Gen. Christopher Beck said aft Roque’s remains were discovered.

Officials reported Oct. 24 that a idiosyncratic of involvement had been taken into custody, but initially withheld that person’s name. Rancy is simply a combat technologist with the 509th Clearance Company who enlisted successful 2022.

Roque, a excavation canine handler whose honors included an Army Commendation Medal, joined the subject successful 2020 and graduated basal grooming from Fort Leonard Wood.

No further accusation astir the victim’s decease oregon her transportation to the accused slayer has been made public.

The Army describes Fort Leonard Wood arsenic a “thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a tiny basal grooming station much than 80 years agone to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains astir 80,000 subject and civilians each year.”