CID Records Show Little Was Done to Find Sergeant in First 48 hours After He Disappeared from Fort Hood
Elder Fernandes, a soldier at Fort Hood, was found dead on Aug. 25, 2020, in Temple, Texas, about 30 miles from the base. (U.S. Army)
21 Apr 2021 Stars and Stripes | By Rose L. Thayer
AUSTIN, Texas Within minutes of learning that Sgt. Elder Fernandes was missing from his unit at Fort Hood, Texas, Army investigators began making calls and identifying leads to locate the soldier. However, Fernandes had been missing for 48 hours before anyone contacted the Army Criminal Investigation Command, setting agents far behind in the race to find Fernandes, who had spent the previous week hospitalized for contemplating suicide.
By ROSE L. THAYER | STARS AND STRIPES Published: April 21, 2021 AUSTIN, Texas Within minutes of learning that Sgt. Elder Fernandes was missing from his unit at Fort Hood, Texas, Army investigators began making calls and identifying leads to locate the soldier. However, Fernandes had been missing for 48 hours before anyone contacted the Army Criminal Investigation Command, setting agents far behind in the race to find Fernandes, who had spent the previous week hospitalized for contemplating suicide. Upon his release Aug. 17, the soldier’s chain of command knew that he had been sleeping in his car, acting out of character and preparing to file for divorce and had recently reported he was the victim of unwanted sexual contact. Yet, he was dropped off at the home of a friend, without confirmation that he made it inside. When he missed a medical safety check the next day, no one alerted authorities, allowing precious time to slip by as his family called the unit for help and got
By ROSE L. THAYER | STARS AND STRIPES Published: April 21, 2021 AUSTIN, Texas Within minutes of learning that Sgt. Elder Fernandes was missing from his unit at Fort Hood, Texas, Army investigators began making calls and identifying leads to locate the soldier. However, Fernandes had been missing for 48 hours before anyone contacted the Army Criminal Investigation Command, setting agents far behind in the race to find Fernandes, who had spent the previous week hospitalized for contemplating suicide. Upon his release Aug. 17, the soldier’s chain of command knew that he had been sleeping in his car, acting out of character and preparing to file for divorce and had recently reported he was the victim of unwanted sexual contact. Yet, he was dropped off at the home of a friend, without confirmation that he made it inside. When he missed a medical safety check the next day, no one alerted authorities, allowing precious time to slip by as his family called the unit for help and got