2 Army drill sergeants found dead in 8 days at Fort Jackson in South Carolina

FORT JACKSON, S.C. — Two drill sergeants with the Army from Alabama were found dead within eight days at Fort Jackson in South Carolina.

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Fort Jackson base officials said that Staff Sgt. Zachary L. Melton, 30, was found dead in his car Saturday after not reporting for work, AL.com. Melton was stationed at Fort Jackson with the 1st Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment.

First responders were called to the scene and Melton was pronounced dead after they arrived, AL.com reported.

Melton has been with the army for over a decade and was a drill sergeant for the last three years, according to WBMA.

“We are extremely saddened by the loss of Staff Sgt. Melton,” said Brig. Gen. Jason E. Kelly, Fort Jackson commanding general, in a statement obtained by the news outlet. “Our thoughts are with his family and the soldiers of the Always Forward battalion during this very emotional time.”

No cause or manner of death have been announced for Melton, according to AL.com. The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division is investigating.

Eight days before Melton was found, Staff Sgt. Allen Burtam was found dead after not showing up for work, WBMA reported. The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division determined that there was no evidence of foul play.

Burtam had been with the army for 12 years, according to the news outlet. He was also drill sergeant at Fort Jackson for the last 18 months.

“Our hearts are with the family of Staff Sgt. Burtram during this extremely difficult time,” Kelly said, according to WBMA. “We are deeply saddened at the loss of one of our own.”

Fort Jackson is near Columbia, South Carolina, according to AL.com. More than 3,500 active duty personnel are assigned at the base, which is the Army’s largest basic training center. About half of all soldiers entering the Army train at Fort Jackson.

A base official told Military.com that the two deaths are not related, WBMA reported.