The Army Office of Special Trial Counsel charged a 21-year-old soldier in the death of a sergeant found in a Missouri dumpster.
Specialist Wooster Rancy from Florida in being held in connection to the killing of 5th Engineer Battalion Sgt. Sarah Roque, military officials said. The search for Roque began Oct. 21 when the 23-year-old Indiana native didn’t report for formation at Fort Leonard Wood in the Missouri Ozarks.
Her body was found that night outside an on-base housing area. She is believed to have been killed prior to the missed formation.
“Sergeant Roque was a daughter, sister, friend and Soldier who chose to serve our country bravely and honorably,” Fort Leonard Wood commanding general Maj. Gen. Christopher Beck said after Roque’s remains were discovered.
Officials reported Oct. 24 that a person of interest had been taken into custody, but initially withheld that person’s name. Rancy is a combat engineer with the 509th Clearance Company who enlisted in 2022.
Roque, a mine dog handler whose honors included an Army Commendation Medal, joined the military in 2020 and graduated basic training from Fort Leonard Wood.
No further information about the victim’s death or her connection to the accused killer has been made public.
The Army describes Fort Leonard Wood as a “thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 80 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains nearly 80,000 military and civilians each year.”