Officials at Fort Hood, Texas, said Sunday that a soldier who had disappeared from the base was found safe with her family.
Jennifer Sewell had failed to report for duty on Thursday, according to Fort Hood officials, who had asked the public for help in their search for her. She was last seen around 4 p.m. leaving her on-post barracks, according to the Fort Hood Directorate of Emergency Services.
Sewell, a private first class, was reported missing after she failed to show up for work and didn't respond to calls from law enforcement, her superiors or her family.
But on Sunday evening, leadership from Sewell’s chain of command spoke with her family, who said she was safe and with extended family.
"Fort Hood officials continue to communicate with Sewell’s family and friends, to ensure she has access to resources she may need and to return her safely to Fort Hood," the Fort Hood Press Center said in a statement.
“Pfc. Sewell is a valued member of our team, and our number one priority is ensuring her safe return. We are in regular contact with her family and will provide any assistance she and her family may need to return to Fort Hood,” Lt. Col. Octavia Davis, commander of Regimental Support Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment said in the statement.
Sewell is the latest soldier to disappear from the base after a series of soldiers disappeared in the past few years. Last year, at least 39 Fort Hood soldiers vanished or died, including 13 who died by suicide. The deaths have brought increased attention to the reports of toxic culture and abuse on the base.
