New Jersey Herald
What was the motive behind the killing of a 20-year-old Fort Drum soldier? Why was he buried 300 miles away under snow in a secluded wooded area in Sussex County? What led authorities to charge another soldier from the same New York military base with first-degree murder? Who is the 16-year-old also charged with the murder?
All these questions and more remain unanswered as the numerous agencies overseeing the case are still piecing it together, Sussex County First Assistant Prosecutor Gregory Mueller told the New Jersey Herald.
The investigation is focusing on a motive for the Dec. 19 killing of Army Cpl. Hayden Harris as well as how the suspects and the victim ended up in Byram. Was it just a random exit off Route 80 to Route 206 and eventually to secluded Ross Road, or was there a reason the area was chosen?
Harris was an infantryman with the 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, and trained at Fort Benning, Georgia, before he joined the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum in July 2019. He was promoted from specialist to corporal following his death. His awards and decorations include two Army Achievement Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon. Harris graduated Air Assault School in 2019.
He was last heard from the night of Dec. 17 after he headed from Fort Drum to Watertown to meet fellow soldier Mellish for some type of vehicle exchange, officials said. Township firefighters discovered Harris with a gunshot wound to his head on Dec. 19, a day after he was reported missing from Fort Drum. Firefighters were on their annual Santa ride through the township when they discovered the scene.