This post will be a continuously updated timeline of deaths, murders, and related crimes occurring at Fort Bragg.
In August 2021, Rolling Stone published an article about the 44 Fort Bragg soldiers who died stateside between 2020 and 2021 (We now know that the number was closer to 100). Several of these deaths were homicides, and some were incredibly violent - one soldier was decapitated. In 2022, Rolling Stone followed up with another article about overdoses at Fort Bragg. I highly recommend reading both of these articles, but the tldr is that many of these deaths are related to Fort Bragg soldiers engaging in drug trafficking, drug dealing, and from overdoses.
Some basic facts to lay the groundwork:
Click the >> for the related news article for each entry.
Jan 21 - Private 2nd Class Caleb Smither is found decomposing in his barracks room. He was dead for about 5 days before being found. >>
Mar 16 - Private Jamie Boger is found "unresponsive" in his barracks and proclaimed dead. >>
May 23 - Specialist Enrique Roman-Martinez was killed and decapitated while camping. His body was never recovered. The 7 soldiers who last saw Roman-Martinez were court-martialed on other charges, including making false statements and using LSD, but the case is currently classified as cold. >>, >>
Nov - A 24-year old soldier from Texas was found "unresponsive" in his bunk. >>
Dec 2nd - Timothy Dumas Sr., a former supply sergeant of the 7th Special Forces Group, and William Lavigne are found murdered in the bed of a truck in Cumberland County, NC. Dumas was shot a single time in the head, while Lavigne was shot multiple times in the chest. Their murders remain unsolved, but investigators state it was likely a drug deal gone wrong. >>
Dec 22 - Staff Sergeant Keith Lewis shoots and kills his pregnant wife before killing himself. In 2016, Lewis assaulted his wife and was in an armed standoff with the police, but faced no repercussions. >>
A total of 21 suicides occurred at Fort Bragg throughout the year. >>
May 13 - Master Sergeant Martin Acevedo III is arrested after a joint raid by DHS and the Cumberland Sheriff's office. Feds seized more than 2kg of coke, several guns, and almost $100,000 in cash. >>
Sep - Staff Sergeant David Rankine is charged with drug trafficking anabolic steroids, cocaine use, child endangerment, and violent sexual assault. Rankine was sentenced to 5 years in prison. >>
Jun 14 - Specialist Joshua Diamond and Private First Class Matthew Disney are found dead in their barracks room. Both died of fentanyl overdoses. >>
July - Fort Bragg stops announcing soldier deaths. Information about most deaths on the base since July 2021 have only been obtainable via FOIA requests.
20 suicides occurred at Fort Bragg throughout the year. >>
Jan 22 - Sergeant Layne Jones is found dead in his apartment with a single bullet wound to the temple. His death was ruled a suicide. >>
Mar 26 - Major Eric Ewoldsen is found unresponsive in a parked vehicle on Fort Bragg. >>
Jan 9 - Fort Bragg officials confirm that about 15 soldiers are being investigated for "illegal drug activity." One Green Beret is accused of sex-trafficking underage girls at "drug-fueled parties." >>, >>
Jan 20 - Staff Sergeant Jimmy Smith III is shot and killed in a town near Fort Bragg. Reports say that this shooting was related to a previous shooting a few days earlier. >>
Feb 15 - The Pentagon releases overdose death information to US Senators upon request. The data shows that overdoses and overdose deaths are concentrated in bases where special forces are stationed, with 31 overdose deaths occurring at Fort Bragg since 2017. >>