A South Dakota active-duty airman was jailed on government costs after authorities claim he supposedly killed an absent Native American lady on an armed forces base.
Quinterius Chappelle, 24, an Airman Basic posted at Ellsworth Air Force Base, is billed with second-degree murder in the fatality of 21-year-old Sahela Toka Win Sangrait.
Chappelle showed up prior to united state Magistrate Judge Daneta L. Wollmann on Monday and begged innocent to a government criminal problem.
Sahela Toka Win Sangrait was located dead after being reported missing out on by family members in 2024. (Facebook/ Bernice White Swan)
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Authorities established that Sangrait, that was reported missing onAug 10, 2024, “was murdered on the base sometime in August 2024.”
However, her remains were located previously this month in a woody location near the Pennington and Custer County line.
A walker in the location found a “badly decomposed” body, which was later on found out to be the Box Elder lady, and called replacements, according to a declaration from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities affirm the murder happened at Ellsworth Air Force Base. (Ellsworth Air Force Base)
The body did not have any kind of “identifying information available,” the company claimed. The reason of fatality has actually not yet been launched.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit (MMU), which aided in the examination, verified to Fox News Digital that Sangrait belonged to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.
The MMU’s Victim Services Program is aiding the family members as the examination proceeds, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Federal Bureau of Investigation aided with the situation. (Bureau of Indian Affairs)
Chappelle is designated to the 28th Maintenance Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base, where he is an airplane examination journeyman, Ellsworth AFB authorities informedFox News Digital He got in the solution on April 30, 2019.
His corrective background, if out there, is secured by the Privacy Act of 1974.
“First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and family of Sahela,” Col Derek Oakley, 28th Bomb Wing leader, composed in a declaration toFox News Digital “We hold Airmen accountable for their actions, and if service members are found in violation of military or civilian law, they will be punished.
“We are functioning very closely with the location police.”
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Chappelle is being held by the U.S. Marshals Service at the Pennington County Jail in Rapid City, South Dakota. A trial date has not been set.
Authorities allege that Sahela Sangrait was killed at Ellsworth Air Force Base. (Ellsworth Air Force Base)
“This charge, filed just 10 days after the victim’s remains were discovered, reflects the dogged work of federal, state, and local law enforcement professionals who seamlessly collaborated to run down every lead with absolute expediency and care,” said Alison Ramsdell, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota. “Under the criminal justice system, this charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is innocent until proven guilty; the facts and evidence in this case will be litigated before a federal judge and jury. At this time, our hearts are with the victim’s family and friends, who, after many agonizing months of searching for answers, are now grieving the tragic death of their loved one.”
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Other agencies that assisted with the case include the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the Rapid City Police Department and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation.
FBI Minneapolis and the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.
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