Fort Hood soldier Pvt. Mejhor Morta whose body was found on July 17 likely drowned, according to the Bell County Sheriff's Department. Morta's is the third Fort Hood soldier found dead in the last month.
On July 17, fishermen in a boat identified what they believed to be a body in the area of the Stillhouse Hollow Lake Dam. The Army identified Morta four days later.
“The Black Knight family is truly heartbroken by the tragic loss of Private Mejhor Morta. I would like to send my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and loved ones,” Lt. Col. Neil Armstrong, commander of 1st Brigade 5th Cavalry Regiment said in a statement. “My thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time. Private Morta was a great Trooper and this loss is felt by every member within our formation.”
Now, the Bell County Sheriff's Department has said the preliminary autopsy results show "the cause of death to be consistent with a drowning." These are preliminary results and a full autopsy report has not been completed or released at this time.
"The Bell County Sheriff’s Department continues their investigation and no other information is available for release at this time," the statement reads.
Morta, 26, was from Pensacola, Florida. He entered the Army in September 2019, as a Bradley Fighting Vehicle mechanic, and had been assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, since May 2020. His awards and decorations include the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.
Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas has spent recent weeks in the national spotlight due to the murder of Sfc. Vanessa Guillen. During the course of the search for Guillen's remains, those of Pvt. Gregory Wedel-Morales were also found. While the Army listed Wedel-Morales as AWOL for months, foul play is now suspected in his death. The integrity of the installation's command structure has been called into question and is currently facing an independent review ordered by Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy.
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