Army investigators are looking into the death of a soldier at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri as a homicide after she was found dead earlier this week, officials told Task and Purpose.
Officials announced Tuesday that Sgt. Sarah Roque, 23, was found dead. Base officials at Fort Leonard Wood had put out a “be on the look out” notice, also known as a BOLO, on Monday, asking for the public’s help in locating Roque, who was described as a Hispanic woman assigned to the 5th Engineer Battalion.
According to the BOLO, Roque was last seen near the base, and that her chain of command and family were unable to contact her.
“Sergeant Roque was a daughter, sister, friend and soldier who chose to serve our country bravely and honorably,” Maj. Gen. Christopher Beck, the commanding general of the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood, said in a statement. “Her passing has caused a tremendous void throughout our team, and while there are no words to ease the pain, we continue to provide care, resources and support to those who are affected during this difficult time.”
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Roque was from Ligonier, Indiana and served as a handler with the K9 detachment from the 5th Engineer Battalion. She enlisted in the Army in 2020 and attended basic training at the Missouri base. Her awards include the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.
The Army Criminal Investigation Division is investigating the circumstances surrounding Roque’s death.
David Cruz, communications director for The League of United Latin American Citizens told Task and Purpose that the organization is forming a coalition to help with the Roque case as it did with two previous incidents involving other Hispanic women in the Army.
In May, Pfc. Katia Dueñas Aguilar, 23, was found in her Clarksville, Tennessee, home outside of Fort Campbell, Kentucky. An autopsy revealed that Aguilar had been stabbed 68 times and had traces in her system of a date rape drug called gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, or GHB and a blood alcohol content of 0.161.
LULAC offered $25,000 as part of the $55,000 reward for information on the Aguilar case. In a press release announcing the reward money, the group also connected the Hispanic soldier’s death back to another case from 2020 which gained widespread attention and prompted reforms across the Army related to sexual harassment and assault and accountability.
“The tragedy of Katia Duenas-Aguilar echoes the painful memories of other fallen soldiers, such as U.S. Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen, whose murder in 2020 at Fort Hood, Texas, sparked national outrage and led to significant policy changes aimed at protecting service members from violence and abuse while in the military,” LULAC said in a release.
Spc. Vanessa Guillén was originally reported missing in April 2020. Investigators discovered that she was killed in her unit’s armory room at now-Fort Cavazos, Texas (previously Fort Hood) and buried roughly 20 miles away by a fellow soldier, Aaron Robinson and his girlfriend.
In 2020, following Guillén’s disappearance, LULAC National President Domingo Garcia urged Latina women to think twice about enlisting in the Army “until we have assurance they will be protected and taken care of when they serve our country.”
Update: 10/23/2024; This article was updated after publication with information about advocacy efforts to support the investigation into Sgt. Sarah Roque’s death.
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