Found Deceased TX - Sgt. Elder Fernandes, 23, Fort Hood, 17 August 2020

Family, Friends, And Elected Officials Call For Independent Investigation Into Death Of Army Sgt. Elder Fernandes

"I believe it’s time we took the hood off Fort Hood,"said Brockton City Councilor Moises Rodrigues, who helped organize the vigil for Fernandes. Local Texas police officials say there were no signs of foul play, suggesting the death was likely a suicide. Rodrigues scoffs at the idea.

"I still cannot believe that someone would decide to kill himself 30 miles away from his home," said Rodrigues. "That makes absolutely no sense...when his car is still at his home base."

"Just so you know, Elder Fernandes was the tenth, the tenth soldier that went missing within this year," said Lynch at the vigil. "We're losing more people at Fort Hood than we are in Afghanistan."

Massachusetts Senators Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren are joining Congressman Lynch in calling for an independent federal investigation of Elder Fernandes’ death.

"We believe that the situation is so serious that we have to bring in outside counsel apart from the military," said Lynch. "We don't want a situation where the military is investigating themselves."

The body of Sergeant Elder Fernandes will be returned to Brockton after an autopsy has been completed.

BBM
 
I am so glad the commander has lost his post. It's only right after everything that's gone on.
The whole chain in between needs to go.
Who who precisely told the CID agents they could not detain AR the night he ran away.
After the luminol was finally used and lit up the armory? That person needs a courts martial.
 
Family, Friends, And Elected Officials Call For Independent Investigation Into Death Of Army Sgt. Elder Fernandes

"I believe it’s time we took the hood off Fort Hood,"said Brockton City Councilor Moises Rodrigues, who helped organize the vigil for Fernandes. Local Texas police officials say there were no signs of foul play, suggesting the death was likely a suicide. Rodrigues scoffs at the idea.

"I still cannot believe that someone would decide to kill himself 30 miles away from his home," said Rodrigues. "That makes absolutely no sense...when his car is still at his home base."

"Just so you know, Elder Fernandes was the tenth, the tenth soldier that went missing within this year," said Lynch at the vigil. "We're losing more people at Fort Hood than we are in Afghanistan."

Massachusetts Senators Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren are joining Congressman Lynch in calling for an independent federal investigation of Elder Fernandes’ death.

"We believe that the situation is so serious that we have to bring in outside counsel apart from the military," said Lynch. "We don't want a situation where the military is investigating themselves."

The body of Sergeant Elder Fernandes will be returned to Brockton after an autopsy has been completed.

BBM

After VG no one believes the Army can investigate.
 
Descansa em Paz Elder Fernandes


"...we failed him. The U.S. Army failed him. The government failed him." | The body of Sgt. Elder Fernandes was brought home to Brockton yesterday. The soldier was found dead, hanging from a tree, about 30 miles from Fort Hood where he was stationed. Rest In Peace, Sgt. Fernandes. Thank you for your service.
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Descansa em Paz Elder Fernandes


"...we failed him. The U.S. Army failed him. The government failed him." | The body of Sgt. Elder Fernandes was brought home to Brockton yesterday. The soldier was found dead, hanging from a tree, about 30 miles from Fort Hood where he was stationed. Rest In Peace, Sgt. Fernandes. Thank you for your service.
1f1fa_1f1f8.png
Geez.
I want more heads for fall.
 
Just saw this!!

Fort Hood Commander Removed from Post After Deaths, Disappearances Tied to Base
The shakeup comes after after a series of suspicious deaths and disappearances that have plagued Fort Hood
By Christine Pelisek
September 02, 2020 03:43 PM
The U.S. Army on Tuesday announced the removal of its top commander at Fort Hood in Texas.

Maj. Gen Scott Efflandt was also denied the command position for the 1st Armored Division.
The Army said Efflandt will stay at Fort Hood and continue to serve as the deputy commanding general for support.
On Tuesday, the Army also announced that Gen. John Murray, the commanding general of Army Futures Command, would lead an “in-depth investigation into the chain of command actions related to Spc. Vanessa Guillen.”
In late June, the partial remains of the 20-year-old Guillen were discovered in a shallow grave near the Leon River in rural Bell County. Guillen’s suspected killer, Spc. Aaron David Robinson, 20, died by suicide as police closed in on him.
[...]
Last month, the body of Sgt. Elder Fernandes, 23, was found hanging from a tree near a railroad. He was last seen by his staff sergeant on August 17, when a sergeant dropped him off at his residence. Shortly after Fernandes disappeared, Lt. Col. Chris Brautigam, a 1st Cavalry Division public affairs officer, said in a statement to CNN that there was an "open investigation of abusive sexual contact" involving Fernandes, who was classified as a victim in the inquest.
Through their attorney, Fernandes' family allege that an assault did happen, and said it impacted Fernandes' mental well-being. The Army later said those claims were "unsubstantiated."
[...]
In early August, Brandon Michael Olivares, 28, was accused of killing 27-year-old Pfc. Brandon Scott Rosecrans. Police said Olivares and Rosecrans were traveling together in Rosecrans’ Jeep Renegade before he was shot. His Jeep was later found engulfed in flames.

-----------------------------
More here:
Fort Hood Commander Removed from Post After Deaths, Disappearances Tied to Base
 
Autopsy report for Sgt. Elder Fernandes released | KRQE News 13
Sgt. Elder Fernandes family doesn't believe Army about his death | khou.com
However, two days later, the Army announced the case was closed. It said the person accused of the sexual assault passed a polygraph and there were no other witnesses.

“They told us it was an ongoing investigation and there would be a timely investigation," Shorter said.
"He passed a polygraph so obviously he is innocent!!" Wow.

Body of Brockton native, Fort Hood soldier Sgt. Elder Fernandes returns home

Fernandes, when he was located near railroad tracks in Temple, was found with his military ID and backpack, which contained his cellphone, wallet, money, car keys and personal hygiene items.

“They don’t know what happened — whether it was suicide or whether murder. But I’m gonna tell you, what they did to him, the blood on their hands, it’s a form of murder,” Khawam said.

Body of missing Fort Hood soldier Elder Fernandes given plane-side honors in Boston
Video here of his casket being unloaded from the airplane
 
LIVE: March to Austin Capitol for Vanessa Guillen, Fort Hood soldiers | KXAN Austin
There have been a number of rallies and vigils for Guillen in Austin and throughout the state. State Rep. César Blanco (D-El Paso) was among those at a rally in Killeen in July, where he said he planned to file a bill in Guillen’s honor next legislative session.

“The act will prohibit retaliation, court marshaling, and any other punishment against victims or survivors for reporting sexual assault. The idea is that the bill will ensure criminal sexual assaults can be prosecuted in state courts to the full extent of the law, to hold offenders accountable outside of the military chain of command,” Rep. Blanco said at the time.

Between January and July of this year, 23 Fort Hood soldiers have died. At the beginning of the month, Fort Hood replaced its commander, and an investigation began into its climate and culture.
"Deeply disturbed": Navajo Nation calls for investigation after latest Fort Hood death - CBS News
Fort Hood confirmed that 12 soldiers had died, but the Associated Press said it had obtained data from Fort Hood officials showing that 28 soldiers died this year.
Sketchy that they tried to halve their #s
 
Congress Investigates Fort Hood Following Soldier Deaths

Congress will launch an investigation into sexual assault, disappearances, deaths and the leadership’s response at Fort Hood after 28 soldiers stationed at the U.S. Army base in Texas died this year, two subcommittee leaders announced Tuesday.

According to data from Fort Hood officials, the 28 deaths include five homicides, as well as accidents, suicides, deaths related to illness, cases still under investigation and one combat-related death.

The subcommittees will jointly investigate if recent deaths “may be symptomatic of underlying leadership, discipline, and morale deficiencies throughout the chain-of-command.”
 
Fort Hood soldier’s family claims Army never investigated his computers; mystery now left behind in devices

Hurt now turned into anger for the Brockton family. The family says they are being left in the dark about the real investigation into what happened to the 23-year-old. The mystery now remains, what documents and evidence was in Fernandes' computers.

“Their focus is to make everyone believe that he killed himself. We know he didn’t kill himself. That’s what they are pushing everyone to believe,” said Isabel Fernandes, Elder’s aunt.

“They are hiding things, and trying to get ahead of us, and portray a picture of Elder that doesn’t exist,” said Fernandes.

In May, Army officials said Sgt. Fernandes reported that he was a victim of sexual assault, but the Army says it was unfounded.

“There was a bag with computers,” said Kesten.

Now, the big mystery remains, what evidence is left behind in Fernandes' computer, iPad, and hard drive.
 
Massachusetts congressional delegations finds 'toxic culture of fear, intimidation' at Texas Army base where Brockton soldier vanished

The death and disappearance count of Fort Hood soldiers has reached an alarming 150 over the last five years, according to three members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation investigating the death of a Brockton soldier who was stationed at the Texas Army base.

Reps. Stephen Lynch, Ayanna Pressley and Katherine Clark said there have been 150 suicides, homicides and disappearances over that period, including Sgt. Elder Fernandes and nearly 30 others who have died this year alone.

“Someone has to find the courage to investigate the Army because 150 is ridiculous,” his aunt, Isabel Fernandes, said Wednesday. “Unfortunately, it’s too late for Elder, but we need to save the soldiers who are left.”
 
This article is VERY long so I copy & pasted the parts I felt were most important to read.

Brockton lawmaker slams Fort Hood's investigation of Sgt. Elder Fernandes' sexual assault case
Fort Hood soldiers told members of a congressional delegation that suicides are treated as an inconvenience, they aren’t provided resources to live safely and in healthy conditions and victims who report sexual assaults are harassed by superior officers.

US Rep Stephen Lynch said when he arrived at Fort Hood, he “anticipated they had a plan and they had none.”

Fernandes reported in May that he was sexually assaulted by a male superior. The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command said it found Fernandes’ report “unsubstantiated” following a “thorough legal review.”

But during their recent trip to Fort Hood, the members of Congress said they learned it was largely a polygraph test that was used to determine Fernandes’ sexual assault report was “unsubstantiated.” Lynch said he “doubted the veracity and the process that they had used.”

“They used a polygraph and it turns out, at least according to CID officials there, that they use this on hundreds of cases,” Lynch said. “They gave the accused a polygraph, he passed it and then they dismissed the case, based largely on that, although they did say that they thought there were other witnesses as well, but we didn’t get to speak to those witnesses and they never went back to Elder Fernandes, Sgt. Fernandes, to ask him further details about this. They just exonerated the accused.”

U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, a Massachusetts Democrat who was also part of the delegation that visited Fort Hood, said she found the use of polygraphs to be a “very strange process” since they aren’t admissible as evidence in any military tribunal or state or federal court.

“We have no idea what the training is for these polygraphs,” she said. “What we do know is that the complaint that Elder Fernandes filed was against a superior and we do know that there is a culture at Fort Hood, and I believe throughout the military, there’s great unease, trepidation and outright fear about reporting superiors and what that will mean.”

They say 30 soldiers have died at Fort Hood this year alone. And Lynch said his staff found there have been about 150 cases of suicides, homicides and disappearances of soldiers at the Killeen, Texas, base in the last five years, which he called “deeply troubling.”

“We cannot ignore the depressed and demoralized experience that service men and women and their families are having there,” US Rep Ayanna Pressley said. “One of the military spouses said everyone knows that Fort Hood is the place where Army careers go to die. This is about endless wars and multiple deployments — the impact on the family unit, on mental health, this is about a base that has a footprint so large that it’s ostensibly a city within a city, and so it brings with it city challenges, including housing stock that is deplorable. I was ashamed — ashamed.”

A young mother told the congressional delegation that black mold was so bad within her family’s home on the base that the mold got into her baby’s mattress and caused respiratory ailments, Clark said.

U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat and a veteran, told his fellow members of Congress that one of the barracks he toured at Fort Hood was one of the “worst he has ever seen,” Clark said.

And several female soldiers told the members of Congress that they wouldn’t feel comfortable reporting a sexual assault at the base, Clark said.

“Most significantly, I think what we saw is that we need to address the toxic culture of fear, intimidation, harassment and indifference,” Clark said. ”... We also know that a majority of victims are harassed by someone in their own chain of command. There’s a culture that promotes silence, not safety, a culture that rewards retaliation instead of trust.”

“I see the beginnings of a plan, the beginnings of sort of the Army process that I have recognized in that past where they take an issue seriously and begin to respond, begin to put a plan together,” Lynch said.

The members of Congress are urging for the swift passage of the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act, which would require the U.S. military to direct independent investigations to determine whether to prosecute service members for sexual assault or sexual harassment.

“It’s not unique to Fort Hood,” Pressley said. “It is systemic and that’s why we need to pass the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act.”
 
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House will vote on bill named after slain Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillén
The "I Am Vanessa Guillén Act" was introduced by Democrat Rep. Jackie Spier of California and Republican Rep. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma in a news conference alongside Guillén's family and other congressional members. It aims to allow service members to report sexual harassment and assault to a third party and make sexual harassment a crime within the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Following a meeting with Guillén's family, Nancy Pelosi said Congress "remains heartbroken and outraged" at the murder of the U.S. Army specialist. She said there would be a House floor vote on the bill.

"Justice is needed for Vanessa, and for the many service members facing an epidemic of sexual harassment and assault in our armed forces, too often in the shadows," Pelosi said in a statement.

Spier said in a news conference that the bill would be put to a vote "either in the next few weeks or it will be in November."

Guillén's youngest sister, Lupe, delivered emotional remarks at the news conference.

"Vanessa Guillén fought for us and now, it's time to fight for her," she said.
 
Panel blasts Fort Hood leaders, Army after disappearance, death of Spc. Vanessa Guillen; 14 fired or suspended
An independent investigation into tragedies at Fort Hood, including the bludgeoning murder of Spc. Vanessa Guillen, found that leadership at the Army's largest base created a "permissive environment" that let sexual harassment and assault and other crimes occur with little consequence.

The report, released Tuesday, represents a scathing indictment of a dysfunctional Army culture and called for changes in staffing and programs to protect soldiers from assault. It found systemic failures starting with Army leaders who failed to address known problems with sexual assault and crime to understaffed and resourced programs to aid victims and investigate crimes.

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said 14 Army leaders at Fort Hood have been fired or suspended as a result of the report. Among those relieved of command was Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt, deputy commanding general for III Corps. McCarthy suspended Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Broadwater pending the outcome of an investigation.

"This report, without a doubt, will cause the Army to change our culture,” he said.

Guillen's murder in April – and the failure to find her remains for nearly three months – focused attention and investigations on life at the sprawling post in Texas. The Army also announced Tuesday that it would change its procedures to search for soldiers soon after they are reported missing instead of assuming they've deserted their posts or gone absent without leave.

Congress has launched its own inquiry into the problems at Fort Hood. Beyond Guillen, Pvt. Mejhor Morta and Sgt. Elder Fernandes also vanished from the base and were discovered dead. Morta had drowned, and Fernandes died by suicide.
 

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