A female Fort Hood soldier has reported missing after she didn't show up for work, according to officials. Jennifer Sewell, a private first class soldier, was last seen around 4 pm on Thursday leaving her barracks to the Fort Hood Directorate of Emergency Services and has not been seen since then.
Sewell is believed to have left on her own accord. Authorities at Fort Hood in Texas are now seeking public's help in locating the missing solider. She is Sewell is the 39th soldier to have disappeared or died in the last year from Fort Hood.
Sudden Disappearance
Sewell, described as a 5-foot-5 African American female with brown hair and brown eyes, was reported missing after she failed to report to work on Friday. She has even not returned repeated calls from her family, superiors and law enforcement, officials said.
Authorities are now seeking public help to locate her. "Military officials are in constant contact with Sewell's unit, her family and close friends to ensure her health and safety," officials said.
Her superiors and family members are still baffled about her sudden disappearance as she looked perfectly alright when she last reported to work on Thursday. "Initial investigation appears that Sewell left for unknown reasons on her own accord," a statement explained, noting she does not own a vehicle.
Presently, it is not known why Sewell decided to leave the base. A member of the Regimental Support Squadron, Sewell received a commendation for her contributions on July 16.
Sewell, whose age is currently unknown, is just the latest soldier to disappear from the base over the past few years.
Mysterious Disappearances and Deaths
The Fort Hood website describes the base as "the largest active duty armored post in the U.S. Armed Forces'' with almost 40,000 soldiers. However, the base has been in news for the mysterious disappearance and deaths of multiple soldiers over the past year.
Over the past year, 39 soldiers died or went missing, including 13 who died by suicide. This has often raised questions about the toxic culture abuse on the base.
The first major incident of turmoil at the base was reported in 2009 when on November 5, Major Nidal Malik Hasan launched the largest mass shooting to date at the military base, killing 13 people and wounding more than 30.
One of the most talked-about incidents happened last year when 20-year-old Spc. Vanessa Guillen disappeared in April 2020. She was later found to have been bludgeoned to death with a hammer in the armory where she worked.
The main suspect in her disappearance, who was another soldier, killed himself when investigators confronted him. The string of deaths led to an independent review of the climate and culture at Fort Hood and led to the punishment of 14 senior officers.
