#Missing Fort Hood soldier Elder Fernandes was victim in sexual abuse probe

A soldier who went missing from Fort Hood had lodged a sexual abuse complaint before he disappeared last week, authorities said.

Sgt. Elder Fernandes, 23, who was last seen Monday when he was dropped off at a home in Killeen and was reported missing on Wednesday, was the alleged victim of abuse at the troubled Texas Army base, officials said.

“The unit sexual assault response coordinator has been working closely with Sgt. Fernandes, ensuring he was aware of all his reporting, care, and victim advocacy options,” Lt. Col. Chris Brautigam, Fort Hood’s public affairs officer, said in a statement.

Officials said Fernandes was involved in an open sexual abuse investigation but did not provide details.

Brautigam said the soldier was transferred to another unit “to ensure he received the proper care and ensure there were not opportunities for reprisal.”

Fernandes went missing after being discharged from the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, but it was unclear why he was at the hospital and whose address he was dropped off at, according to KWKT-TV.

“We need answers,” Fernandes’ aunt, Isabel Neves Fernandes, told the outlet. “We need to know where my nephew is, my sister’s son is. We need to know that he’s okay. We need to know that he’s alive.”

Neves Fernandez said her nephew’s car was filled with his belongings when he went missing, and that he had rented an apartment and set up all the utilities — but never showed up to get the keys.

At least five soldiers from Fort Hood have died this year, including Vanessa Guillen, 20, who went missing and was later found dead and mutilated. Another solder, Aaron Robinson, was suspected in the murder but took his own life before he could be taken into custody.

Earlier this month, the body of Spc. Francisco Gilberto Hernandezvargas, 24, was pulled from a lake near the base.

With Post Wires