An Army soldier who was missing from Fort Drum was found dead in a wooded area of New Jersey on Saturday, according to officials and a report.
Cpl. Hayden Harris, 20, was shot dead near Ross Road, Sussex County, and another Army soldier suspected of his death was arrested, the first deputy prosecutor told NJ.com of Sussex County, Gregory Mueller.
“We are devastated,” Brigadier General Brett Funck, first acting commander of Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division, said in a statement announcing Harris’ death.
“Here it was well known that the Cpl. Harris was a great soldier, and while we share our grief with his friends and family. His death is a tremendous loss to his loved ones, this division and our nation, “Funck said in the statement.
Harris, of Guys, Tennessee, was last heard from Thursday night through Friday morning, according to a U.S. military statement.
The soldier was supposed to be driving his 2016 Ford Mustang Coupe in Watertown for what Army officials described as “some kind of vehicle transaction.”
Harris’ body was found by police after members of the Byram Township fire department detected blood, a pair of shoes and trash on Ross Road, according to NJ.com.
His alleged killer, detained by New York authorities, is expected to face extradition to New Jersey after charges are filed in Sussex County, according to the report.
Harris joined the Army in March 2019 and was assigned to Fort Drum in July 2019. He leaves behind his mother, father and sister, according to Army officials.