(Tribune News Service) — A soldier who went missing while during a training exercise at Fort Jackson is dead, the U.S. Army said Wednesday.
Staff Sgt. Jaime Contreras, 40, was found unresponsive at about 11:15 p.m. Monday, Army officials said at a news conference.
Contreras’ family has been notified, and an investigation is underway, the Army said.
Kelly said that Contreras was participating with the U.S. Army Drill Sergeant Academy as it conducted routine land navigation training. Contreras was a drill sergeant candidate, according to the Army.
The exercise started at about 10 a.m. Monday, according to Brig. Gen. Jason Kelly, Fort Jackson’s commanding officer.
Contreras was supposed to return at 1:30 p.m., but did not show, according to Kelly. A search was underway by 2 p.m.
The search was conducted on Fort Jackson grounds, but the area where the training was held was close to the post’s perimeter, according to Fort Jackson spokeswoman LA Sully.
Along with the Army, Kelly said the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the South Carolina Army National Guard assisted with search.
Fort Jackson is the nation’s largest military basic training base with more than 50,000 recruits assigned there each year.
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(U.S. Army)
