An autopsy for the 21-year-old Fort Bragg soldier found on North Carolina’s Outer Banks says he was decapitated, according to a report from the Division of Forensic Pathology at East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine.
The Raleigh News & Observer reported the division said the cause of death for Army Spc. Enrique Roman-Martinez remains undetermined as only a head was available for examination.
“While decapitation is, in and of itself, universally fatal, the remainder of the body in this case was not available for examination, and therefore potential causes of death involving the torso and extremities cannot be excluded,” the report said. “A definitive cause of death cannot be determined, (but) the findings in this case are most consistent with death due to homicide.”
The report also said a jaw was broken in two places and there was “evidence of multiple chop injuries of the head.” No evidence of drug use was detected.
According to the National Park Service, Roman-Martinez was reported missing while on a Memorial Day trip May 23 at Cape Lookout National Seashore. The Chino, California, native was last seen May 22 at a campsite at the park, according to the Army.
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AP
Army investigators said his phone and wallet were found at the campsite.
NPS officials said a human head washed up on shore at the Shackleford Banks during the 10-day search that was launched to find him.
Cape Lookout Superintendent Jeff West said Roman-Martinez allegedly left the campsite without telling anyone where he was going. He was wearing shorts and no shirt and had no supplies, West and Army officials said, according to Carolina Coast Online.
WITN out of Washington, North Carolina, reported Roman-Martinez’s family has raised concerns in the past about his friends not immediately reporting him missing. The local station reported the friends came across park rangers five hours before calling 911.
The Army says a $25,000 reward is being offered for tips leading to an arrest and conviction in the soldier’s death.
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