BYRAM, NJ – On December 19, 2020, the body of 20-year-old Cpl. Hayden Harris, was found buried beneath the snow by local firefighters. He had been shot to death.
Harris, who was stationed at Fort Drum, in upstate New York, had gone missing days earlier.
Jamaal Mellish, 23, and an unidentified juvenile have been taken into custody and both have been charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, possession of a weapon without a permit and second-degree possession of weapons for unlawful purposes.
Mellish, a Jamaican immigrant, is currently being held in military custody in Oneida County, New York, while his alleged accomplice is being held at a juvenile detention facility, according to the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office.
The Army Times reported:
Harris, of Guys, Tennessee, had been stationed at Fort Drum in New York since July 2019. Family friend Claire Hallissy said Harris was known in his hometown as “Opie” for his red hair, his infectious smile and his one passion: to join the U.S. Army.
Mellish attended Mannings High School in Westmoreland, Jamaica, before moving to the New York City borough of Brooklyn, to attend college, reports News Americas Now.
