A US army soldier has been charged with murder in the death of a fellow service member at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, the military announced Thursday.
The army office of Special Trial Counsel charged the 21-year-old specialist Wooster Rancy on Wednesday with murder and obstructing justice in the death of 23-year-old Sgt Sarah Roque.
Originally from Ligonier, Indiana, Roque worked as a mine-detecting dog handler – was reported missing 20 October. Her body was discovered in a trash bin on the base two days later.
Roque is at least the third Hispanic female US army soldier to be murdered in a high-profile case since 2020.
Fort Leonard Wood officials said last week that they were investigating Roque’s death as a homicide and that they had taken a person of interest into custody last Thursday. Officials also stressed that there was no broader threat to base personnel or the community.
But army investigators have released few other details about what happened, including the cause of Roque’s death or a possible motive.
Roque enlisted in 2020. Her awards and decorations include the army commendation medal, national defense service medal, good conduct medal and the army service ribbon. She was a member of the fifth engineer battalion and enlisted in 2020.
Women in the US military are particularly vulnerable to violence because they are generally isolated from family and friends who would support them in disputes, according to a Futures without Violence fact sheet.
Notably, in May, Katia Dueñas Aguilar was found dead in her home outside of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, after she had been stabbed nearly 70 times. She also reportedly had traces of a date rape drug in her system.
Vanessa Guillén, meanwhile, was murdered at a military base in Killeen, Texas, after telling friends and family she had been sexually harassed on the base. Authorities said fellow soldier Aaron Robinson killed Guillén and then died by suicide when confronted by police.
Robinson’s girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, received a 30-year prison sentence in the case after pleading guilty to one count of accessory to murder and three counts of false statement or representation.
The Associated Press contributed reporting
