Fort Hood, Texas, officials on Tuesday released the name of a 21-year-old soldier found dead two days earlier after he had reportedly jumped from a ledge into nearby Belton Lake.
Spc. Brenton Wade Blume had served with the Hood-based 20th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, since June, according to a news release from the installation.
Multiple local media outlets, including KVUE-TV, reported that Blume was with friends when he jumped from a cliff in Oakmont Park into Belton Lake, a reservoir northeast of Fort Hood's main base with more than 135 miles of shoreline. Witnesses told police that Blume belly-flopped into the water, then returned to the surface before sinking back under.
A dive team found his body after searching more than two hours, local media reported.
Federal law bans cliff-jumping into the lake, but law enforcement officials told local media the ban is difficult to enforce and frequently ignored.
The soldier's death remains under investigation, according to the Fort Hood release.
Blume, of Houston, enlisted in October 2012 and deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from March to November 2013. He earned an Army Commendation Medal and Combat Action Badge among other awards and decorations during his time in service, the release states.
