Human remains found at Camp Shelby in Mississippi have been identified as those of Spc. Ryan K. Longnecker, 19, of Glasgow.
The Kentucky guardsman was reported missing from the Mississippi National Guard base 12 miles south of Hattiesburg, Miss., on Aug. 6, 2007, two days before his unit left for Iraq. His case was initially labeled as an absent without leave (AWOL) and turned over to the U.S. Marshals Service in February.
Lt. Col. Doril Sanders, a base spokesman, said Longnecker’s remains were found June 3 in a secluded area of the 136,000-acre base. Sanders told the Associated Press that Longecker’s two military-issued weapons — an assault rifle and a pistol — were also found. The military did not release a cause of death and would not say whether Longnecker had ammunition at the time of his disappearance.
His remains were found by other soldiers training at the base, Sanders told the Associated Press. Camp Shelby was federally activated in 2004 and more than 50,000 Guard soldiers from across the country have trained there for missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The family has told us that they do not wish to speak to the media right now,” said David Altom, a civilian spokesperson for the Kentucky National Guard.
Bryan Longnecker of Cambridge City, Ind., has said in the past that his son was not happy in his unit, Battery B, 2-138th Field Artillery based in Carlisle. The soldier had requested a transfer to another unit, but it was denied, his father said.
Brian Longnecker, a former Marine, has said his son was born in North Carolina near Camp Lejeune, a U.S. Marine Corps base. He said Ryan had called the Cambridge City, Ind., area home since about 2000.
“Confirmation of Spc. Longnecker’s death is a tragedy for the Kentucky National Guard family,” said Maj. Gen. Edward W. Tonini, Adjutant General for Kentucky. “We have all lived with uncertainty for nearly a year. I speak for all of our citizen-soldiers and airmen in expressing our condolences to Spc. Longnecker’s family and supporting them in their time of grief.”
Funeral arrangements are pending.
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