A 21-year-old soldier is charged with the murder of a female sergeant whose body was found in a dumpster on an Army base last week.
Sarah Roque, a 23-year-old mine detection dog handler, was assigned to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.
Her body was found in a dumpster near her barracks on October 21.
Roque was reported missing when she failed to show for formation that morning. A search began for her within hours.
Special Agent John McCabe, who oversees the Army Criminal Investigation Division in the Midwest, said Roque was found dead later that day.
Within three days, McCabe announced an arrest was made in the case. But the suspect’s name wasn’t released to the media until Thursday, Oct. 31.
Specialist Wooster Rancy of the 5th Engineer Battalion is charged with murder. He is being held in pretrial confinement while awaiting an evidentiary hearing.
He is from North Miami, Fla., and enlisted as a combat engineer in 2022, Stripes.com reported.
Roque was born in Lubbock, Texas and raised in Ligonier, Indiana. She enlisted in 2020 to become a combat engineer, according to her obituary. She worked in the 5th Engineer Battalion as a bridge crewmember and boat operator from October 2020 until August 2022.
She deployed to Poland as a boat operator with the 74th Multirole Bridge Company.
Roque reenlisted in 2022 and transferred to work as a mine detection dog handler, according to her obituary. She partnered with a dog named Zorro.
