Missing National Guard soldier found dead in Alaska, cops say. Her husband charged
A 21-year-old Utah native and National Guard member stationed in Alaska was found dead days after her husband reported her missing, police told news outlets.
Now he has been charged with murder, police said.
Saria Hildabrand was first reported missing on Aug. 7 in Anchorage, police said in a news release.
She was reportedly last seen the day before and left her home in a black T-shirt, black jeans and black shoes and was carrying her purse, Anchorage police said.
She was reported missing by her husband, Zarrius Hildabrand, the Anchorage Daily News reported, who told police he and his wife had been out drinking with friends on Aug. 5 for his birthday.
He told police they got back to their apartment at about 2 a.m., KTUU reported.
Around 2:45 a.m., a neighbor heard a gunshot and called police but did not go outside to check it out, the outlet reported, citing charging documents.
Zarrius Hildabrand told police Saria was hungover on Sunday but still left to walk to work around 9 a.m., according to the Anchorage Daily News, citing a criminal complaint.
A friend of Saria’s told police she was not planning on working Sunday, according to the outlet.
Her co-workers told police they had gotten a text from Saria around 10:45 a.m. on Aug. 7 telling them she was going to call off work, but charging documents said her husband told police she didn’t take her phone with her to work, according to KTUU.
Her family believed she went missing on her way to work, according to a GoFundMe created on their behalf.
After days of searching, a body was found in a storm drain and was later identified as Saria, Fox News reported.
On Aug. 11, police announced her disappearance was “now being investigated as a homicide,” and Zarrius Hildabrand had been taken into custody, according to the release.
He has been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder and tampering with evidence, according to jail records.
Saria had moved to Anchorage to be with her husband at the beginning of this year, KTUU reported.
Zarrius Hildabrand is a cannon crew member in the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, according to the outlet.
Saria was a member of the Army National Guard and joined the Alaska National Guard when she moved to join her husband, while also taking college classes and working at a local restaurant, according to her family’s GoFundMe and the Anchorage Daily News.
She “was an amazing young woman,” her family said in an Aug. 12 statement made on a Facebook page to share information about her case.
“Saria is a genuine, caring woman that is independent, courageous, and brave,” her family said. “She was a good student in training to become a combat medic and preparing for her future.”
Saria was originally from Midvale, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City, KSTU reported.
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