Missing Fort Drum soldier found dead, another soldier held
Authorities suspect fellow soldier Jamaal Mellish was the perpetrator.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Authorities were holding a U.S. soldier in custody as of Monday under suspicion that he killed a 20-year-old Army infantryman found in a wooded area last week.
Cpl. Hayden Harris was reported travelling to Watertown, New York for a vehicle transaction but was found shot to death near Byram Township, New Jersey.
Authorities suspect 23-year-old Jamaal Mellish, a fellow soldier, was the perpetrator. According to AP, he was being held in New York with charges pending.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Harris, who hailed from Guys, Tennessee, joined the 10th Mountain Division in July of 2019 after training at Fort Benning in Georgia.
FOR MORE THAN 7 DECADES, US SOLDIERS SERVE AS 'FATHER CHRISTMAS' FOR PERILED ORPHANS IN JAPAN
He served as an infantryman with the 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, but was promoted to corporal after his death. He had received two Army Achievement Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, according to the 10th Mountain Division.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We are devastated," Brig. Gen. Brett Funck, acting commander for Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division, said in a statement. "It was well known here that Corporal Harris was a great Soldier, and as we share our grief with his friends and Family, I hear again and again how he was also - and most importantly - a really wonderful, caring person. His death is a tremendous loss for his loved ones, this Division and our nation."
The Selmer Police Department in his native Tennessee posted about Harris' death on its Facebook page.
"We are sad to report that Hayden Harris has been found deceased, our thoughts and prayers are with Harris’s family and friends," a post read.
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According to the 10th Mountain Division, members of his unit reported him missing just hours after losing contact with him.
Several police departments joined the search for Harris after the Army requested help from the public.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.