Fort Stewart identifies married couple found dead in base housing
Fort Stewart authorities have identified the husband and wife who were found dead Wednesday in their base housing as Staff Sgt. Meiziaha Cooper and Desmond Cooper. The couple’s 4- and 9-year-old children were also found dead.
In a statement released Friday, the base said early findings from its investigation indicate the incident was “domestic in nature.” Military Police discovered their deaths after Staff Sgt. Cooper’s unit requested a “welfare check” Wednesday.
“Police arrived at the on-post home approximately 2 p.m. to contact the soldier,” the base said. “Law enforcement found the family unresponsive in the home upon making entry.”
Staff Sgt. Cooper joined the Army in 2012 and served as a culinary noncommissioned officer, according to Fort Stewart. Her awards included four Army Commendation Medals and six Army Achievement Medals.
”Our thoughts and prayers are with Staff Sgt. Cooper’s family, friends and teammates during this very difficult and tragic time,” 3rd Infantry Division Deputy Commander of Operations Col. Jeremy Wilson said Friday. “Our community has been shaken by this unspeakable tragedy and out of respect to the family we ask for privacy to grieve this loss.”
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Jeremy Redmon is an award-winning journalist, essayist and educator with more than three decades of experience reporting for newspapers. He has written for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 2005.
