A U.S. airman has been charged with second-degree murder in connection to the killing of a 21-year-old woman in South Dakota who has been missing since last summer.
Deputies in Pennington County said 24-year-old Quinterius Chappelle was stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base and is now being held at the county jail on federal charges.
On the afternoon of March 4, a hiker discovered a “badly decomposed” body near the area of Hill City in Black Hills National Forest and called the sheriff’s office.
A forensic dentist and autopsy revealed the remains belonged to Sahela Sangrait, who was reported missing from Box Elder on Aug. 10, 2024.
The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office said it jointly investigated the case as a homicide with the 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.
Chappelle was charged and taken into custody on March 15.
Deputies said in a statement that it is believed Sangrait was killed on the Air Force base — located approximately 40 miles northeast of where her body was found.
The sheriff’s office said due to the jurisdiction, the case will now be handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
