Fort Hood Officials Declare Missing Soldier Dead

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) – Fort Hood officials have declared a missing soldier dead two months after he and his vehicle were swept away by a flash flood.

A Fort Hood statement Thursday identified the missing soldier as Spc. Darius Cooper. The 40-year-old soldier from San Antonio has been missing since early the morning of April 11, when he was washed away by flooded Clear Creek.

A diver who was participating in the search died April 16 after she was found in distress.

The National Weather Service reported at the time that up to 8 inches of rain had fallen in the area of the sprawling Central Texas post.

Cooper was a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

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