A human body found in a burned-out vehicle last month at Fort Bragg in North Carolina has been identified as a 70-year-old area man.
The driver, Ronald A. Farrell, struck an embankment on the evening of Nov. 20, and his car caught fire, according to the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division. He was from Fayetteville, a city adjacent to the military installation.
According to CID, Farrell served in the North Carolina National Guard from 1975 to 1983. His obituary indicates he reached the rank of sergeant.
There are no signs yet of foul play in the fatal incident, according to CID, but the investigation is ongoing.
Farrell’s vehicle was discovered during a routine military police patrol Nov. 21 on a section of publicly-accessible road adjacent to Fort Bragg’s training Range 74. Details released at the time revealed only that unidentified “human remains” were discovered.
Fort Bragg Emergency Services were immediately dispatched to the scene, and the matter was referred to CID’s Carolinas Field Office, which is on Fort Bragg. CID thanked the Fayetteville Police Department for helping with the investigation.
Fort Bragg is the largest U.S. Army base by population, according to the U.S. military, and described as the Army’s “flagship power projection platform.” It’s the headquarters of the XVIII Airborne Corps – designed to rapidly respond around the globe – and the Army’s Special Operations Command.
Human remains were previously discovered around Fort Bragg as recently as October 2021. A woman later identified as Priscilla Sands was found dead on Interstate 295 near the base, according to Stars and Stripes. Her cause of death was not released.
Other recent incidents at the base include an active-duty soldier stationed there charged with murder in January and an employee sentenced to prison for accepting bribes totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.
