Authorities arrested an active-duty Air Force member Friday for allegedly murdering a 21-year-old Native American woman on a South Dakota military base, officials announced. Airman Quinterius Chappelle, 24, faces federal second-degree murder charges after deputies found the badly decomposed body of Sahela Sangrait earlier this month, the Pennington County Sheriff's Office reported.
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A hiker discovered Sangrait's remains on March 4 south of Hill City, near the Pennington and Custer county lines -- about 50 miles from Ellsworth Air Force Base, where authorities say she died. The sheriff's office had reported Sangrait missing in August. Investigators have not released a motive or details about how Sangrait, a Box Elder resident, died. Her exact time of death remains unknown.
The Department of Justice will prosecute Chappelle. Ellsworth Air Force Base commander Col. Derek Oakley addressed the case in a statement to the New York Times.
"We hold airmen accountable for their actions," Oakley said. "If service members violate military or civilian law, they will face punishment."
Airman Worked In Maintenance
Sangrait's missing person's poster offered clues about her final days. She had been staying with a friend in Eagle Butte before traveling to Box Elder, just miles from the base, to retrieve items and head to California. An Air Force spokesperson told the Times that Chappelle, who joined the service in 2019, worked as an aircraft inspection journeyman with the 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.
Chappelle now sits in custody at the Pennington County Jail. The sheriff's office has not disclosed any relationship between the suspect and the victim. The case has stirred concern at Ellsworth, a major base housing thousands of personnel.
Sangrait's disappearance last summer alarmed her community. Her decomposed remains suggest she died long before the hiker's discovery. Authorities continue to investigate, withholding key details about the killing. The sheriff's office asks anyone with information to step forward.
The federal court will soon hear the case. Chappelle's second-degree murder charge points to intent without premeditation. Legal proceedings may reveal more about Sangrait's death. For now, the community grieves a young woman lost to violence, while Chappelle awaits his day in court.
Per the Times: "There were 38 American Indian or Alaska Native women listed as missing on South Dakota's missing persons website on Sunday, though this type of data is often an undercount."
