KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The body of a 21-year-old soldier stationed at Fort Leonard Wood was recovered Thursday morning.
U.S. Army Spc. Joshua Morrison, a bridge crew member from 50th Multi-Role Bridge Company of the 5th Engineer Battalion, was last seen around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday near Ruby’s Landing in Pulaski County.
He had been kayaking on the Gasconade River.
First responders from Fort Leonard Wood and fellow soldiers with the 5th Engineer Battalion joined special agents with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, the Waynesville (Missouri) Fire Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office in search-and-rescue operations.
Morrison’s body was discovered shortly after 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, according to a Highway Patrol drowning incident report.
“The Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood team is devastated by this tragic loss – Spc. Morrison was our teammate, and his service was valued and appreciated,” a post from the U.S. Army Fort Leonard Wood page on Facebook, which confirmed Morrison’s death, said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Spc. Morrison’s family, friends and fellow Soldiers, and we continue to care for and support them during this difficult time.”
Morrison was from Stockbridge, Georgia, and the investigation into the circumstances of Morrison’s drowning continues. No foul play is suspected, according to investigators.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office at 573-774-6196 or Fort Leonard Wood law enforcement at 573-596-6141.
