An army soldier reported missing in Fort Drum was found dead Saturday in a wooded area in New Jersey, officials and a report said.
Cpl. Hayden Harris, 20, was found shot dead off Ross Road in Sussex County – and a fellow army soldier suspected of his murder was taken into custody, Gregory Mueller, Sussex County’s first assistant prosecutor, told NJ.com.
“We are devastated,” said Brigadier General Brett Funck, acting senior commander of Fort Drum and 10th Mountain Division, in a statement announcing Harris’ death.
“It was known here that Cpl. Harris was a great soldier, and as we share our grief with his friends and family. His death is a huge loss to his loved ones, this division and our country, ”Funck said in the statement.
Harris, of Guys, Tennessee, was last heard from sometime late Thursday night to Friday morning, according to a US military release.
The soldier would drive his 2016 Ford Mustang Coupé to Watertown for what army officials describe as “ some kind of vehicle transaction. ”
Harris’ body was found by police after members of the Byram Township fire department saw blood, a pair of shoes and paperwork on Ross Road, according to NJ.com.
His suspected murderer, who is being held by New York authorities, is expected to be extradited to New Jersey after charges were filed in Sussex County, the report said.
Harris joined the military in March 2019 and was assigned to Fort Drum in July 2019. He is leaving his mother, father and sister behind, army officials said.