Soldier Found Dead At San Antonio Base

A soldier was found dead early Sunday morning at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston in Texas. The soldier has been identified as 28-year-old former Kenmore East HIgh School student, Ian Patrick Morgan according to The Buffalo News.

US Army officials have confirmed today that Morgan passed away in San Antonio Military Medical Center on Sunday. Reports state that fellow soldiers discovered Morgan, critically injured in at the bottom of an outdoor stairwell near his barracks at Fort Sam Houston. The San Antonio Express stated that officials investigating the incident believe that Morgan may have been killed.

“Homicide is not being ruled out,” one Army official said, after being asked whether this was considered a homicide, suspicious death or accident.

Reports have stated that Morgan may have died after suffering from blunt-force trauma to the head among other injuries. Colonel Scott Bleichwehl, of the U.S. Army North Public Affairs, said the following Monday regarding the reports of Morgan’s injuries:

“I don’t know, and if I did, the investigation is ongoing, and we don’t want to jeopardize that. We want to make sure for this soldier and his family that everything is being done in the right way and with the right timing.”

WIVB stated that Morgan’s family is devastated by the news. The report stated that the Anderson’s took Morgan, once their paper boy, into their home when he was 16-years-old and treated him like a son. His adoptive sister, April Anderson said, “I loved him. He was my brother. Doesn’t matter that he wasn’t my blood, because he was my brother.”

“As he stayed with us he learned that there is a God and that the Lord is there for you, and we had him going to church with us, and we showed him that somebody really does love you Ian,” said Morgan’s adoptive Mother, Cheryl Anderson.

An investigation into Morgan’s death is still ongoing, so there are no confirmed reports of how he died. Robert Anderson, Morgan’s father-figure, told WIVB that he was found in the staircase by two of his army buddies after some early morning drinking. “There was some alcohol involved. I asked Colt, I go, was Ian drinking? Was he drunk? He says, I know he had a beer, but he was not drunk,” Robert said.

While family and friends grieve the loss of who they called a good man, Army officials say the have ordered an official autopsy to be done in order to find out what Morgan’s official cause of death was.

[U.S. Army photo by Gregory Ripps]