A plane takes off from Ellsworth Air Force Base in 2022. Quinterius Chappelle, an active-duty airman at the base, is accused of killing Sahela Sangrait.
IMAGO/piemags via Reuters
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IMAGO/piemags via Reuters
Law enforcement authorities in South Dakota have revealed that a woman missing since last summer was allegedly murdered by a member of the U.S. Air Force.
Quinterius Chappelle, a 24-year-old active-duty airman stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base, has been arrested on a federal charge of second-degree murder in the death of Sahela Sangrait.
Authorities stated that Sangrait’s remains were discovered in early March by a hiker in Hill City, nearly 40 miles southwest of the base. The investigation did not disclose the circumstances of Sangrait’s death or her relationship with Chappelle.
Chappelle, an aircraft inspection journeyman for the 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, had entered the service in 2019. Ellsworth Air Force Base did not provide a response to NPR’s request for comment.
Sangrait, a 21-year-old Native American, had been missing since August. She was planning to gather her belongings in her hometown of Box Elder before traveling to California.
The case against Chappelle will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota. Chappelle is currently held in the Pennington County Jail on behalf of the U.S. Marshals Service.
