ARMY SGT. SLAIN

Found shot on Texas interstate

A US Army drill sergeant on leave for the holidays was discovered fatally shot in Texas, military officials said.

Firefighters responding to a report of a vehicle collision found Sgt. Jessica Mitchell with multiple gunshot wounds at around 3 a.m. on New Year’s Day in a vehicle along Interstate 10 in San Antonio, news station WTXF reported.

The 30-year-old Mitchell (pictured) was assigned to Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.

The Dodge Challenger in which she was discovered had bullet holes on the door and window of the driver’s side, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

Mitchell, who had no pulse, was taken to University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on Friday, the base said.

“We are devastated by the tragic loss of Drill Sergeant Jessica Mitchell. Our sincere condolences go out to her family and friends,” Maj. Gen. Dennis LeMaster said in a statement obtained by the Express-News.

“We are focused on supporting Drill Sergeant Mitchell’s family as well as her soldiers during this extremely difficult time.”

Mitchell, a dental specialist, had been assigned to the US Army Medical Center of Excellence since August 2019 and before that worked at a joint base dental clinic, according to military officials.

The Army’s Criminal Investigation Division and the San Antonio Police Department have launched a probe into her death.

Her sister said that Mitchell had made at least one social-media post about “ringing in the new year” hours before her body was discovered.

“Why would anybody want to do this? Why do people do such heinous acts of crime for no reason?” Ashley Mitchell told WTXF.

Jessica Mitchell’s death comes just days after partial skeletal remains were found near Salado Creek at the base. Officials said it was “too premature” to release more details about the Dec. 27 discovery.

But it’s unclear how the body could have ended up at the base, since the facility is gated and closed to the public.