Sgt. Elder Fernandes, 23, was last seen Monday afternoon when his staff sergeant dropped him off at his home, according to Killeen police.
www.nbcnews.com
Another Fort Hood soldier is missing. The Army asks for help.
The U.S. Army is asking for the public’s help in its search for another soldier missing from Fort Hood, Texas.
Army officials at Fort Hood issued a missing soldier alert Thursday night for Sgt. Elder Fernandes, 23.
"Our primary concern is for his health and well-being," the Army said in the alert.
Police in nearby Killeen, who spelled the missing soldier's last name as Fernandez, said he had been reported missing Wednesday. Family members told police he was last seen or heard from Monday afternoon when his staff sergeant dropped him off at his home in Killeen.
The soldier, whose family is originally from Cape Verde in West Africa, had been in the hospital for four or five days prior his disappearance, Ailiana Fernandes, Elder's mother, told NBC News. It's still unclear to her why was her son in a hospital in the first place.
Ailiana, who lives in Massachusetts, has traveled to Fort Hood to seek answers on her son's whereabouts. "As of right now, I'm not getting any answers," she said.
Fernandes is a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist with the 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade at the Central Texas Army installation. He is 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 133 pounds (60.33 kilograms). He was last seen wearing black Army physical training shorts and a T-shirt with red athletic shoes, according to Killeen police.
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Elder Fernandes: Nuclear Specialist Missing from Fort Hood
The U.S. Army and Killeen, Texas, police department are seeking the public’s help in locating Elder Fernandes, a Fort Hood soldier who was last seen on Monday afternoon. The missing soldier was dropped off at his home in Killeen by his staff sergeant and has not been heard from since. Killeen PD said that his family reported him missing on Wednesday.
Fernandes’ disappearance puts the troubled military base back in the spotlight. In the past year, the base has seen a string of murders and assaults and at least five soldiers have been found dead around the base, prompting a U.S. Army investigation into the base. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy visited the base earlier this month and said they plan to address the “root causes” of the assaults and soldier deaths occurring on or near the base.
At the time, McCarthy said Fort Hood has “the highest, in most cases,” reports of murders, sexual assaults and harassment of all Army bases. He said:
I’ve met over the last 24 hours with soldiers of every echelon … and told them that were are sending down an independent group of investigators to understand the root causes associated with the rise of felonies, violent acts, to better understand why this is happening in this installation.
Now, a few weeks later, police and U.S. Army officials are appealing the public for help locating Fernandes, with the U.S. Army posting that their “primary concern is to ensure his safety and wellbeing.” Here’s what you need to know about Elder Fernandes, the missing Fort Hood soldier:
1. He Was Last Seen on Monday, August 17, & Was Reported Missing By His Family on Wednesday; Both the U.S. Army & the Killeen Police Department Are Looking for Him
The Killeen Police Department published a news release about Fernandes’ disappearance asking for help from the public. It wrote that Fernandes hasn’t been seen or heard from since Monday, August 17. The 23-year-old’s family members told officers on Wednesday, August 19, that he was last seen when he was dropped off by his staff sergeant at his home in the 2700 block of Woodlands Drive.
The U.S. Army 1st Cavalry Division also posted on its Twitter page: “We are seeking your help in locating Sgt. Elder Fernandes. Please contact the Fort Hood Military Police at 254-288-1170 or US Army CID at 254-287-2722, if you have any information on his whereabouts.” The post was accompanied by a missing soldier alert:
2. His Aunt Has Publicly Appealed for Information on His Whereabouts, Saying He ‘Has a Heart of Gold’
Fernandes is originally from Brockton, Massachusetts. According to his aunt, Isabel Fernandes, he had just signed a new lease but hadn’t yet picked up the keys to the apartment. She told ABC13 that Fernandes’ car with his belongings was found at the base. She told the outlet:
This is very, very unusual. He has been in touch with us since last week. I personally spoke to him Friday morning. He spoke with his mom this past Sunday and he promised he would call on Monday. Monday came and went and he didn’t call, and he didn’t answer calls from anyone else. Tuesday, no calls and my sister ended up flying down there yesterday, and still we haven’t heard from him.
His aunt continued, “We are here all worried. He has a big family and we need to find him and we need to find him alive.” She also posted about her nephew’s disappearance on Facebook, writing that he is “more than my nephew, he is more like my son, someone I saw born and grow into a wonderful young man, someone that has a heart of gold, his heart is so big that he joined the Army to protect and serve.”
3. Fernandes Is a Nuclear Specialist With the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood & His Mother Flew to Texas to Help With the Search
Fernandes is a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist with the 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade, according to CBS DFW. He has been in the military since at least 2016, as his mother, Ailina Neves, has posted Facebook photos of Fernandes in uniform as early as November 2016.
Fernandes’ mother flew down to Fort Hood to push officials in the search. Isabel, Fernandes’ aunt, wrote that Fernandes’ mother is “in agony right now in Texas, she is in an unknown city and can’t find her baby boy, she does not know where to start looking, she needs the Public and law enforcement to step up and help.” She also wrote that Fernandes’ father is in Cape Verde waiting to hear news.
Texas Equusearch, a non-profit search and rescue organization founded in 2000 and based in Dickinson, Texas, just outside Houston, has joined the search for Fernandes. Their Facebook post about the disappearance adds that he had a full sleeve tattoo on his left arm. According to KCENTV, Fort Hood officials have already searched the entire division area including headquarter buildings, parking lots and motor pools.
4. Fernandes Had Just Been Released From Hospital, Though No Reason Was Provided for His Hospitalization
KCENTV spoke to Fernandes’ mother, who said he had just been released from the hospital. She told the outlet, “We’ve been talking since last Tuesday. He’s been in the hospital since Tuesday. We’ve been talking every day, two-three times a day, and for him to get out of the hospital and nowhere to be found. it’s so much concern, worry. Its a nightmare right now.”
There is no confirmed information available at this time about his reason for hospitalization. According to a press release by the 1st Cavalry Division shared by Massachusetts State Representative Liz Miranda, Fernandes is described as a “missing high risk soldier.”
5. His Disappearance Is the Latest in a String of Incidents at the Army Base in the Past Year
Fernandes’ disappearance comes after a string of publicized deaths in the past year at the army base, 11 in total with foul play suspected in five of them. The most high-profile case is that of Vanessa Guillen, 20, who federal and military investigators say was killed and dismembered by another soldier, Aaron David Robinson, the New York Post reported. Guillen went missing on April 22 and her remains were found in early July, shortly after Robinson took his own life.
Officials found the remains of 24-year-old Fort Hood soldier Gregory Wedel-Morales in a Killeen field on June 19. Wedel-Morales had been missing since last August. Fox News reported that U.S. Army officials suspect foul play in his death. In May 2020, another Fort Hood soldier, 27-year-old Pfc. Brandon Scott Rosecrans, was found dead of a gunshot wound about 13 miles from the post, Army Times reported. His body was found near his Jeep, which had been set ablaze. A Killeen-area couple was recently arrested and charged in connection with Rosecrans’ death.
Most recently, two Fort Hood soldiers died in separate incidents near the base. Sgt. Bradley Moore, a 36-year-old Texas Army National Guard soldier, died on August 13 during a training accident at the base. On August 12, 22-year-old Spc. Cole Jakob Aton was hit by a vehicle when he was attempting to direct traffic around a minor accident. He died of his injuries at the scene, KCENTV reported.
Fort Hood late Friday afternoon confirmed an open investigation of “abuse sexual contact” involving a missing soldier who’s the focus of a growing search.
www.kwtx.com
UPDATE: Texas Equusearch to join search for missing Fort Hood soldier
Volunteers from Texas Equusearch, which helped in the effort that led to the discovery of the remains of slain Fort Hood Spc. Vanessa Guillen, will join the search for another missing Fort Hood soldier, the group’s founder, Tim Miller, confirmed Friday.
Fernandes is assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade.
“Our primary concern is for his health and well-being,” the post said in a statement Thursday evening.
“We have completed a search of the entire division area, to include motor pools, parking lots, and headquarters buildings and the unit is in contact with the soldier’s family, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division and civilian law enforcement agencies to help find him as we continue our search. Finding him and ensuring his safety is a top priority for the division.”
A Fort Hood soldier who has been missing since Monday had been transferred to a different unit because he was the victim in an “abusive sexual contact” investigation, the Army said.
www.cnn.com
Missing Fort Hood soldier was victim in 'abusive sexual contact' investigation, Army says
A Fort Hood soldier who has been missing since Monday had been transferred to a different unit because he was the victim in an "abusive sexual contact" investigation, the Army said.
Lt. Col. Chris Brautigam, a 1st Cavalry Division public affairs officer, told CNN in a statement that there is an "open investigation of abusive sexual contact" involving Sgt. Elder Fernandes and confirmed that Fernandes was the victim in the investigation.
"The unit sexual assault response coordinator has been working closely with Sgt. Fernandes, ensuring he was aware of all his reporting, care, and victim advocacy options," Brautigam said. "The unit also facilitated his transfer from a unit who has recently deployed to a different unit within the brigade to ensure he received the proper care and ensure there were no opportunities for reprisals."
Hmm. I like how they talk like this is one of many things in only the past year. Stuff has been going on here for a whole lot longer than that imo. Bits get out and then it is shut down, cases disappear or one never hears of them again and people and families have no power and likely give up... Jmo. Or are told this or that and who goes up against such authority OR they believe what they are told about their own adult child and probably grieve and figure they never really knew them, their ways, lives or issues....
To me, the dots connect here easily since this is nothing new... Not necessarily names. I have no idea, but in a pretty clear pic of what is going on, yah... For years on end... They may seem like separate cases and maybe all of the numbers of them perhaps a few were really something else and don't fit, but I think a ton do... I mean maybe Alex Cox in the Vallow case really died at an opportune time possibly by natural causes, it could happen I guess. But in this case, way, way too many things for way too many years. Maybe they should and do deserve separate threads but it is almost like a serial killer thing or like the college admissions scandal, there is also a number of crimes, missing and dead fitting and unsolved--way too many--or dropped as to investigation--all fit under the same possible umbrella...
It was sure truly nice for the staff sergeant to drop this guy off at a place he had no keys for yet with his vehicle and belongings left elsewhere.... And that hospital stay... I never heard of such a thing like that before either... That is sarcasm. Sorry. And the staff sergeant may be entirely innocent... I bet there is video! Watch, probably there is none. Oh my. Jmo though...
A victim of a sexual harassment or abuse charge going on and he goes missing... Hmm.
KILLEEN, Texas -- The search for another missing fort soldier continues and new details emerge about the hardships he says he faced while on post. It has been one week since Sgt. Elder Fernandes was last seen at Fort Hood. Caption: (CNN Newsource) Now, after meeting with officials on post Friday...
news4sanantonio.com
Missing Fort Hood Soldier reported sexual abuse before disappearing, officials confirm
The search for another missing fort soldier continues and new details emerge about the hardships he says he faced while on post.
It has been one week since Sgt. Elder Fernandes was last seen at Fort Hood.
Now, after meeting with officials on post Friday afternoon, his mother, Alina Fernandes, says she is frustrated with the way the army is dealing with her son's disappearance.
"It is a nightmare. It is frustrating to know that my son might be out there hurt," she said. "He wanted to be in the army. He wanted to learn, to grow and to serve this country."
Friday afternoon, Ailina met with fort hood officials to discuss the latest information from the investigation. It left her with more questions than answers.
"I feel like since I landed here Wednesday, they have enough time to do more and give me some answers by now," Alina said.
In a statement Friday evening, the First Cavalry Division's Public Affairs Officer revealed Elder was sexually abused while on post.
The army said he was moved to a different unit within his brigade and an investigation into the claims was opened.
Ailina says it reminds her too much of the circumstances around the disappearance of Vanessa Guillen.
"I know their feelings," she explained, "I know what they're going through. I don't want my son to be the same case as her."
KILLEEN, Texas -- The search for another missing fort soldier continues and new details emerge about the hardships he says he faced while on post. It has been one week since Sgt. Elder Fernandes was last seen at Fort Hood. Caption: (CNN Newsource) Now, after meeting with officials on post Friday...
news4sanantonio.com
Missing Fort Hood Soldier reported sexual abuse before disappearing, officials confirm
The search for another missing fort soldier continues and new details emerge about the hardships he says he faced while on post.
It has been one week since Sgt. Elder Fernandes was last seen at Fort Hood.
Now, after meeting with officials on post Friday afternoon, his mother, Alina Fernandes, says she is frustrated with the way the army is dealing with her son's disappearance.
"It is a nightmare. It is frustrating to know that my son might be out there hurt," she said. "He wanted to be in the army. He wanted to learn, to grow and to serve this country."
Friday afternoon, Ailina met with fort hood officials to discuss the latest information from the investigation. It left her with more questions than answers.
"I feel like since I landed here Wednesday, they have enough time to do more and give me some answers by now," Alina said.
In a statement Friday evening, the First Cavalry Division's Public Affairs Officer revealed Elder was sexually abused while on post.
The army said he was moved to a different unit within his brigade and an investigation into the claims was opened.
Ailina says it reminds her too much of the circumstances around the disappearance of Vanessa Guillen.
"I know their feelings," she explained, "I know what they're going through. I don't want my son to be the same case as her."
One would think with the attention, they would clean up their act wouldn't ya? I think it runs so deep and has went on so long that there is much to hide and clean up quite honestly... Or someone(s) are so sure of their power and the knowledge they hold over others, they are not as concerned as they should be...
I have said it before but I so wish I could remember all of the hints and things and then shut down hints of things that have went on there for a long, long time, possibly even before much internet... My memory is not that good, I just know such things surfaced or perhaps someone tried to say something and then boom, not another word about it.. Or someone died or disappeaed, maybe a mention in the news, a family upset and then again, nothing....
There certainly seem to be a lot of officers, higher ups, or staff sergeants, etc. that are the last to have seen someone or dropped them off and more than a few non-officers like the gf married to a retired military but supposedly seeing and helping the guy in Vanessa's case....
I think the entire area, not just the base either, needs a major flush... Jmo.
Sgt. Elder Fernandes took his own life outside Fort Hood, according to a report. He had previously claimed he was sexually abused on base and had gone missing.
www.insideedition.com
[BGCOLOR=rgb(255, 255, 255)]Fernandes had been hospitalized for several days before he went [/BGCOLOR][BGCOLOR=rgb(255, 255, 255)]missing[/BGCOLOR][BGCOLOR=rgb(255, 255, 255)], said his mother, Ailiana Fernandes. She said it was unclear why he was in the hospital. His mother and his aunt arrived in Texas last week from Massachusetts to help search for Fernandes.[/BGCOLOR]
Fort Hood believes Sgt. Fernandes, 'Left on his own accord,' but frustrated family members said that just doesn't line up with their information.
www.kcentv.com
Where was Elder Fernandes last seen? Family struggles to reconcile Fort Hood's information with their own
Missing Fort Hood Sgt. Elder Fernandes was last seen by members of his unit on August 17 at a home in Killeen. That's the information Fort Hood officials have at this time, at least.
Officials met with the Fernandes family Sunday on Fort Hood to share information about the case. After that meeting, the Fernandez family said they simply cannot believe Sgt. Fernandes went missing on purpose and they take issue with that being the official line.
"When you assume he left on his own accord and when you write things like, 'He needs to come back to get the care that he was under,' That leaves the public to believe that we are looking for a mentally ill service member," Fernandes' Cousin Mariana Shorter said. "That's the wrong assumption. With the credibility and character that he has, he would not put his mother through this."
Family members said Monday that Fernandes was admitted to Carl R. Darnell Memorial Hospital on August 11. His aunt, Isabel Fernandes, said the family called him every day but he told them very little about why he was there. The family said Fort Hood officials informed them later that Fernandes had been suicidal, but they don't know exactly when.
They said Fernandes was released on August 17 and was, allegedly, taken back to a home where he had formerly lived in Killeen. The family said there are several red flags with that story.
First, his mother, Ailina Fernandes, said she had spoken to him the day before and he had promised to call. Other family members vouched that they had an extremely close relationship.
"The last time we talked on Sunday evening he told me, 'Mom, as soon as I get out of the hospital and get my cell phone I will call you. I'll make a video call so you can see me,'" Ailina Fernandes said. "These were his last words to me. I promise you I will call you Monday and it never happened. It's not OK!"
The family said Fernandez was cleared to return to work. When they spoke to officials about who exactly took Fernandez home, however, they said officials could not give then access to the "Members of his unit," as referred to in the Fort Hood press release, that took him home.
"We know it's a staff sergeant. We have requested permission to speak with him to find out 'what kind of conversation did yall have? What state of mind was he in?' We have not had the opportunity to speak with this gentleman," Shorter said.
Family members said officials told them he, "Was just getting a ride" for the Staff Sgt. so there is no record of Fernandes being signed out to a superior.
Finally, family members said Fort Hood claimed to take Fernandes to a home on Woodlands Drive in Killeen, which was his last known address. They later found out that Fernandes had moved out of that address in late July and found his car still on post.
Family members said it would make no sense for Fernandes to be dropped off in a place where he did not live and where he had no transportation. Ailina said the current residents of the home never saw Fernandes either.
"The roommates told us he was never there. They had never seen him on that Monday. He had already moved out from that apartment," Ailina said. "Nobody had seen him open the door or get inside the house. We don't know after that."
He didn't even live at the place where the staff sergeant said he took him anymore! It was a former address! Sounds like Elder didn't update his address in the system. And "someone" looked it up and said "yeah, I took him home, to this address here!" Except he didn't live there anymore... Somebody's story is unraveling.
The body of a missing soldier is believed to have been found about 30 miles from Fort Hood, the Army base in Texas where he was stationed.
www.usatoday.com
From the article:
Missing Fort Hood soldier Elder Fernandes' body found in Texas, police say
Cody Shepard The Enterprise
Published 8:30 AM EDT Aug 26, 2020
The body of Sgt. Elder Fernandes, a Massachusetts native who went missing from the U.S. Army’s Fort Hood base in Texas more than a week ago, was found Tuesday evening, police said.
“Our worst nightmare has happened,” the family’s attorney, Natalie Khawam, said in a statement. “One of our own, Sergeant Elder Fernandes has been found dead today. We are sickened by this tragedy that has happened one too many times. We are heartbroken for Elder Fernandes’s family.”
Khawam said Army police told family members about the discovery late Tuesday night.
Fernandes’ backpack was with him, Khawam said, and police found the 23-year-old man’s driver’s license inside.
The Temple Police Department said it responded to a medical call along railroad tracks about 28 miles from the Fort Hood base, at about 5:36 p.m. Tuesday after a person reported seeing a man near the tracks.
“Upon officers’ arrival, it was determined that the subject had been deceased for some period of time,” the department said in its statement.
Identification found at the scene indicates the deceased victim is Fernandes, but police say no forensic confirmation has been made yet.
Police say there does not appear to be any foul play involved in Fernandes’ death at this time
The body of a missing soldier is believed to have been found about 30 miles from Fort Hood, the Army base in Texas where he was stationed.
www.usatoday.com
From the article:
Missing Fort Hood soldier Elder Fernandes' body found in Texas, police say
Cody Shepard The Enterprise
Published 8:30 AM EDT Aug 26, 2020
The body of Sgt. Elder Fernandes, a Massachusetts native who went missing from the U.S. Army’s Fort Hood base in Texas more than a week ago, was found Tuesday evening, police said.
“Our worst nightmare has happened,” the family’s attorney, Natalie Khawam, said in a statement. “One of our own, Sergeant Elder Fernandes has been found dead today. We are sickened by this tragedy that has happened one too many times. We are heartbroken for Elder Fernandes’s family.”
Khawam said Army police told family members about the discovery late Tuesday night.
Fernandes’ backpack was with him, Khawam said, and police found the 23-year-old man’s driver’s license inside.
The Temple Police Department said it responded to a medical call along railroad tracks about 28 miles from the Fort Hood base, at about 5:36 p.m. Tuesday after a person reported seeing a man near the tracks.
“Upon officers’ arrival, it was determined that the subject had been deceased for some period of time,” the department said in its statement.
Identification found at the scene indicates the deceased victim is Fernandes, but police say no forensic confirmation has been made yet.
Police say there does not appear to be any foul play involved in Fernandes’ death at this time
Like everything that happens there, and there seems to be so much, this story stinks to high heaven. Wasn't one of the others also found with a backpack? Maybe the guy they found right after Vanessa?
I also don't find his time in the hospital odd without going into why... And the fact he could not say much when family talked to him... You don't exactly leave the service or get a transfer very easily... And if you complain or report someone.... At this place...?
Take him home to an address he doesn't live at? That is a HUGE stink bomb... I mean if he was released from the hospital and okayed for release then he would be awake, alert and say I don't live here wouldn't he...? Or the driver would say where do you live? No one took him. Looks like another huge cover-up.
I, like all, intensely support our military but denying one never sees hints or problems or abuse of power, just like in anything.... This place has something very corrupt and deep and long term going on... Imo....
www.nbcnews.com
