Law enforcement officials have announced that an airman has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a lady that occurred on an Air Force base.
The body of Sahela Sangrait, 21, was discovered on March 4, several months after she had vanished the previous year, according to a statement that was posted on Facebook by the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday. Quinterius Chappelle, 24, is suspected of killing Sahela Sangrait.
The “badly decomposed body” of Sangrait was discovered by deputies after a hiker reported finding the remains, according to the sheriff’s office.
According to the sheriff’s office, Chappelle, who is currently actively serving in the military and stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in western South Dakota, is suspected of being the person responsible for Sangrait’s death on the base. On August 10, it was announced that she was missing.
There was an initial lack of clarity regarding the nature of the relationship that existed between Chappelle and Sangrait.
The New York Times was informed by a spokesperson for the base that Chappelle was a journeyman in the aircraft inspection department and that he was assigned to the 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. Additionally, the official stated that Chappelle joined the military on April 30, 2019.
Col. Derek Oakley, the commander of Ellsworth, stated to the newspaper that military personnel were collaborating with local law enforcement in the inquiry.
“We hold airmen accountable for their actions, and if service members are found in violation of military or civilian law, they will be punished,” he stated.
According to a Facebook missing people poster, Sangrait was Native American.
The poster said she was last seen near Eagle Butte, some 160 miles northeast of the Air Force base, staying with a friend. After leaving the friend’s home, Sangrait announced that she was heading to her hometown of Box Elder to pick up a few things before her scheduled journey to California.
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When and whether she made it to Box Elder, which is adjacent to Ellsworth Air Force Base, are unknown.
The Pennington County Jail is where Chappelle is being detained. According to jail records, he was taken into custody on Friday and no bond has been set.
A request for information given to the jail on Sunday night was not immediately answered, and it was unclear at the time if Chappelle had legal counsel.
According to the sheriff’s office, the case will be prosecuted by the South Dakota U.S. attorney’s office. A request for comment on Sunday night was not immediately answered by the U.S. attorney’s office.
The FBI, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, the Rapid City Police Department, the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, and others participated in the investigation.
“This investigation has been an excellent collaboration of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies in our area,” said the sheriff’s office.
The bureau requested that anyone who knew anything regarding Sangrait’s murder get in touch with the FBI’s Rapid City office.
