(RAPID CITY, S.D.) — An active-duty airman was arrested on Friday for allegedly killing a 21-year-old woman on an air base in South Dakota, according to the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.
Quinterius Chappelle, 24, an active-duty airman stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, faces second-degree murder charges for allegedly killing 21-year-old Sahela Sangrait, the sheriff’s office said in a statement on Saturday.
On March 4, a hiker discovered Sangrait’s body at a location south of Hill City, South Dakota, near the Pennington County and Cluster County line.
Officials said the human remains were “badly decomposed,” and the body was later identified as Sangrait, who had been missing since Aug. 10, 2024.
Sangrait was last known to be staying with a friend in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, and said she was traveling to Box Elder, South Dakota, “to get some of her things, then planned to travel to California,” according to a missing persons poster shared on Facebook.
Authorities determined that Sangrait was murdered at the air base. The relationship between Chappelle and Sangrait has not yet been made clear.
“This investigation has been an excellent collaboration of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in our area to include the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The suspect is being held at Pennington County Jail and no bond has been established, according to jail records. It is not yet clear whether Chappelle has legal representation.
Chappelle is being held at Pennington County Jail and no bond has been established, according to jail records. It is not yet clear whether Chappelle has legal representation.
Chappelle entered the service in April 2019 and was working as an aircraft inspection journeyman, according to Ellsworth Air Force Base.
The base’s “thoughts and prayers are with the friends and family of Sahela,” Col. Derek Oakley, the 28th Bomb Wing commander at Ellsworth, told ABC News. He added they are working closely with law enforcement agencies.
“We hold airmen accountable for their actions, and if service members are found in violation of military or civilian law, they will be punished,” Oakley said in a statement to ABC News.
The case will be prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office, the sheriff’s office said.
Anyone with additional information related to Sangrait’s murder should contact the Rapid City FBI office at 605-343-9632.
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