Soldier charged with murder after sergeant found dead in dumpster at Missouri base

A soldier stationed in Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri has been charged with murder in the death of a sergeant whose body was found inside a dumpster at the base, officials said.

Specialist Wooster Rancy, 21, with the 5th Engineer Battalion, is also charged with obstructing justice, in connection to the death of 23-year-old Sgt. Sarah Roque, the Army said Thursday.

Roque, who was killed Oct. 20, was found inside a dumpster near single soldier housing, officials said.

Rancy is held in pretrial confinement awaiting a preliminary hearing, officials said.

The relationship between Rancy and Roque, if any, was not clear.

An official with the Army reached on Thursday afternoon declined to answer the question. Attempts to reach Rancy’s family were unsuccessful.

Roque's relatives were also not reached for comment.

Roque was reported missing after she failed to show up for her unit’s morning formation on Oct. 21. Her body was found hours later, authorities have said.

Maj. Gen. Christopher Beck, Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood commanding general, said at a news conference earlier this month, the community at the base was “devastated.”

Beck described Roque as a leader who served with “honor and distinction."

“This is something we never want to happen, we never want for the family to have to endure or the unit to have to endure,” he said.

Roque, of Ligonier, Indiana, enlisted in 2020 and was decorated, receiving the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal and the Army Service Ribbon, officials said.

She was assigned to the 5th Engineer Battalion as a bridge crewmember and mine dog handler with the K9 detachment, the Army said.

Rancy, who joined the Army in 2022 and attended basic combat training at Fort Leonard Wood, is from Miami, officials said.

He serves as a combat engineer with the 509th Clearance Company, 5th Engineer Battalion, according to the Army.

NBC News' Minyvonne Burke and Toby Lyles contributed.

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