The U.S. Army has preferred charges against a soldier in the death of a sergeant at Fort Leonard Wood last week.

Charges against U.S. Army Spc. Wooster Rancy, 21, has been linked to the Oct. 20 murder of Sgt. Sarah Roque. Rancy is also charged with obstruction of justice.

The body of 23-year-old Roque was found in a dumpster at a southern Missouri military base after he missed duty.

Michelle McCaskill of the U.S. Army Office of Special Trial Counsel told Missourinet that now that charges are preferred, the next step is to appoint a neutral officer and set a date for a preliminary hearing. After the preliminary hearing, the officer will make recommendations on the appropriate disposition of the case. A preliminary hearing is required before charges can be referred to a military court.

In military law, preferring charges is the process of formally filing charges against a defendant. Referral of charges is the decision to prosecute the charges against the defendant in a court-martial, also known as a court-martial.

Rancy remains in jail awaiting a preliminary hearing.

Sergeant. Roque was from Indiana and served as a Mine Dog Handler with the Army’s K9 Detachment, 5th Engineer Battalion. He joined the Army in 2020 and completed basic training at Fort Leonard Wood.

Specialist Rancy is originally from Florida and serves as a combat engineer with the 509th Clearance Company, 5th Engineer Battalion. He joined the Army in 2022 and attended Basic Combat Training at Fort Leonard Wood.

Ordu Criminal Investigation Department continues its investigation into the incident.

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