News

Fort Leonard Wood soldier charged with murder for killing Army Sgt. Sarah Roque

St. Louis Public Radio | By Rachel Lippmann

Published November 1, 2024 at 9:03 AM CDT

Sgt. Sarah Roque, a 23-year-old U.S. Army sergeant, was found dead inside a dumpster at Fort Leonard Wood last week.

Spc. Wooster Rancy faces murder and obstruction of justice charges in the killing of Sgt. Sarah Roque, whose body was found in a dumpster last week at the Missouri fort. She was 23 years old.

The Army says a fellow soldier at Fort Leonard Wood is responsible for the Oct. 20 killing of Sgt. Sarah Roque.

Military prosecutors on Wednesday filed murder and obstruction of justice charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice against 21-year-old Spc. Wooster Rancy. The Army did not provide any details about how the two soldiers knew each other.

Rancy, a combat engineer assigned to the 5th Engineer Battalion, joined the Army in 2022. He is a native of Florida.

Investigators found Roque’s body in a dumpster at the fort last week. She was first reported missing when she did not show up for her unit’s morning formation on Oct. 23. She was 23 when she died.

Charges in the military justice system do not prevent prosecutors in Pulaski County, where the fort is based, from filing their own case against Rancy. But experts say that would be rare.