Army Calls On Public To Help In Search For Missing Fort Hood Soldier Sgt. Elder Fernandes

An entrance to Ford Hood in Fort Hood, Texas, in a 2016 file photograph. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty Images

The U.S. Army on Aug. 20 issued a missing soldier alert and called on the public to help in the search for Sgt. Elder Fernandes.

Fort Hood officials said in their alert, which was issued on Twitter, “We are actively searching to locate him and continue to stay in touch with his Family, friends, and law enforcement. Our primary concern is to ensure his safety and wellbeing.”

In a statement, the Killeen Police Department said Fernandes, 23, was reported missing Wednesday, Aug. 19, and was last seen or heard from on Monday afternoon when his staff sergeant dropped him off at his home in the 2700 block of Woodlands Drive in Killeen, Texas.

Fernandez is described as 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighing 133 pounds (60.33 kilograms) and he was last seen wearing black Army physical training shorts and T-shirt with red athletic shoes.

Base officials asked anyone with knowledge of his whereabouts to contact the Fort Hood Military Police at 254-288-1170 or U.S. Army CID at 254-287-2722.

Fernandes is a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear specialist with the 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade at the Central Texas Army installation.

His disappearance is the latest in a string dating back to Aug. 20, 2019, when 24-year-old Pfc. Gregory Morales, was reported missing. His remains were found June 21 in a field in Killeen, just over 10 miles from Stillhouse Hollow Lake.

Meanwhile, Pfc. Brandon Rosecrans, 27, was found shot to death in Harker Heights next to his burned Jeep 2016 Jeep Renegade on May 18. A 28-year-old man from Killeen, Brandon Michael Olivares, was charged with his murder.

Then on July 1, Army officials found human remains subsequently identified as those Pfc. Vanessa Guillén, 20, a Fort Hood soldier who had been missing since April. Her remains were found near the Leon River in Bell County, about 20 miles east of Fort Hood.

Spc. Aaron Robinson, 20, of Calumet City, Illinois, 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.

In July, President Donald Trump met with the family of Guillén and offered to pay for her funeral, as well as promising a rigorous investigation into her death at the U.S. Army post.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.