Fort Riley soldier found dead off post

A Fort Riley soldier was found dead in an off-post residence on Monday, according to the Army.

Spc. Hunter Schmidtke, an infantryman with Company B, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, was found unresponsive in the home in Junction City, Kansas.

Schmidtke, 25, joined the Army in May 2015 and arrived at Fort Riley in June 2016, according to the news release. He deployed to South Korea in 2016.

“The Soldiers of the ‘Iron Ranger’ battalion mourn the loss of Spc. Hunter Schmidtke,” Lt. Col. Jon Meredith, the battalion’s commander, said in the release. “We will continue to fully support his family and friends during these challenging times and will honor Spc. Schmidtke’s memory and contributions to the unit.”

Schmidtke is from University Place, Washington.

The Junction City Police Department and Fort Riley Criminal Investigation Command are investigating Schmidtke’s death.

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