Drowning of Fort Hood soldier ruled accidental
BELTON — The July drowning of a Fort Hood soldier at lake near the U.S. Army base in Central Texas was an accident, according to a final autopsy report.
Final results from the Southwest Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas supported initial reports from the Bell County Sheriff 's Office that Pvt. Mejhor Morta, 26, had drowned, TV station KVUE reported Monday.
Sheriff's deputies were called to Stillhouse Hollow Lake near Belton on July 17 just after midnight when fishermen found a body in the water at the base of a dam. It was identified as Morta's.
Morta is one of 28 soldiers who have died at Fort Hood this year, according to data from Fort Hood officials. The 28 deaths include five homicides, plus accidents, suicides, deaths from illness, cases still under investigation and one combat-related death.
Last week, members of Congress introduced the I am Vanessa Guillén Act of 2020, named after the Houston native who was killed on April 22 inside Fort Hood. Guillén told family and friends another soldier sexually harassed her but did not report the incidents to military personnel for fear of retaliation. The bill would drastically change how the military investigates sexual offenses reported by active-duty members.
Fort Hood has one of the highest rates of murder, sexual assault and harassment in the Army, Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy said in August.
Earlier this month, Democratic Reps. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts and Jackie Speier of California sent a letter to McCarthy requesting documents and information on the deaths as part of a congressional investigation.