Soldier arrested on suspicion of murdering female Army sergeant at Missouri base

A soldier has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the body of a female Army sergeant was found in a dumpster at a Missouri base.

Spc. Wooster Rancy, 21, has been charged in the slaying of Sgt. Sarah Roque, 23, who was found dead near an on-base housing unit at Fort Leonard Wood last week, officials said.

The base is located in central Missouri, about 140 miles southwest of St. Louis.

Rancy has also been charged with obstruction of justice and is being held in detention at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas ahead of a preliminary hearing. The hearing date was not specified.

No motive for the slaying or cause of death has been made public. The Army’s Criminal Investigation Division’s investigation is ongoing.

Officials said Rancy is a combat engineer who joined the Army in 2022.

Roque, of Ligonier, Ind. was reported missing Oct. 21 after she failed to report for duty, with her body discovered hours later. Investigators determined she was killed some time on Oct. 20.

She enlisted in 2020 and worked as a mine dog handler and had received several commendations.