The death of another Fort Hood soldier is under investigation after he was found unresponsive at a nearby lake.
On Friday, July 17 at 12:07 a.m., deputy’s with the Bell County Sheriff’s Department were dispatched to the area of the Stillhouse Hollow Lake Dam after fishermen in a boat located what they believed to be a body in the water at the base of the dam.
Upon arrival, deputy’s found the body 26-year-old Pvt. Mejhor Morta was located in the vicinity of Stillhouse Hollow Lake — located about 15 miles east of the Army base.
An autopsy was ordered by Justice of the Peace Garland Potvin.
A preliminary autopsy shows the cause of death to be consistent with drowning, but at this time, a full autopsy report has not been completed or released by the Medical Examiner’s Office in Dallas, Texas.
Morta's body was found just weeks after officials found the dismembered remains of Pfc. Vanessa Guillen — a soldier stationed on Fort Hood who went missing in April. Officials have not said that the two cases are linked.
Morta was from Pensacola, Florida, and entered the Army in September 2019, as a Bradley Fighting Vehicle mechanic. He has been assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, since May 2020.
Friends of Morta say his family is from the Philippines.
"I reached out to his sister today and they are currently in the Philippines," said Hunter Proffitt, a friend of Morta. "He literally came over here, he joined the U.S. Army to help move his family over here. He wanted to move his family. He wanted to make a better life for himself and then we find out that this happens."
The Bell County Sheriff’s Department continues their investigation and no other information is available for release at this time.
This story was originally published by Sydney Isenberg on KXXV in Waco, Texas.