Soldier held in death of missing Fort Drum corporal found fatally shot

BYRAM, N.J. — Authorities on Monday were holding a U.S. Army soldier in the death of a fellow soldier from Tennessee who was found shot to death in New Jersey after he was missing from a base in upstate New York.

Authorities found the body of Cpl. Hayden Harris, 20, in a wooded area of Byram Township, New Jersey, on Saturday.

The resident of Guys, Tennessee, was last heard from Thursday night after he headed from Fort Drum to Watertown, New York, for a vehicle transaction, the Army said.

Missing Fort Drum soldier found deceased

Foul play is suspected in the death of Spc. Hayden Allen Harris, 20.

By Army Times staff

Harris was meeting fellow soldier, Jamaal Mellish, for “some type of vehicle exchange,” First Assistant Sussex County Prosecutor Gregory Mueller said. Authorities believe Mellish “abducted” Harris and killed him, Mueller said.

Mellish, 23, was held in New York and charges were pending. It wasn’t immediately known whether Mellish had a lawyer.

Harris, an infantryman with the 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, trained at Fort Benning, Georgia, before he joined the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum in July 2019.

“His death is a tremendous loss for his loved ones, this division and our nation,” Brigadier Gen. Brett Funck, acting commander for Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division, said in a statement.

Army CID is burned out and mismanaged by military police leadership, special agents say

Military police officers are "trying to run CID units like normal Army units, and that is absolutely impossible to do," one special agent said.

By Kyle Rempfer

Harris was promoted from specialist to corporal following his death.

Fort Drum is located near the Canadian border, around 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Syracuse.

In Other News

Will the Supreme Court’s GI Bill ruling mean more money for vets?

A major veterans education benefits ruling by the Supreme Court this week could have far-reaching effects for millions of students.

Internet subsidy used by millions of vets, troops set to expire in May

A federal program that helps troops and veterans pay for home internet access will run out of funding next month without congressional action.

‘The flak can’t always miss. Somebody’s gotta’ die’

An excerpt from 'I Will Tell No War Stories' by Howard Mansfield.

Senators push VA to fix problems with vets’ toxic exposure claims

A group of Senate Democrats wants quicker action from VA leaders on solutions to some problematic toxic exposure disability claims.

Supreme Court rules in favor of veteran who sued over GI Bill limits

The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of a veteran who wanted to use both his Post-9/11 GI Bill and Montgomery GI Bill benefits.

Korean War hero Ralph Puckett to lie in honor at US Capitol

Medal of Honor recipient Ralph Puckett will lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol in recognition of his heroism during the Korean War.

His father never spoke of WWII. His flight logs told the story for him

Historian and author Howard Mansfield had vowed to never write another word about World War II. Until another one fell into his lap.

US military to expand universal pre-K at dozens more bases this fall

The U.S. military will rapidly expand its universal pre-K program to another 79 primary schools, for a total of 80 locations, in the 2024-2025 school year.

Marines at Trump resort did not break rules on politicking in uniform

A viral photo of uniformed Marines at an event at former President Donald Trump's Florida home was not a violation of military rules, officials said.

Annual defense authorization work to ramp up in the next few weeks

Defense and veterans hearings on Capitol Hill for the week of April 15, 2024.

Your Army