NEWS

Makeshift memorial appears in spot where soldier's body was found in Byram

Kyle Morel
New Jersey Herald

What was the motive behind the killing of a 20-year-old Fort Drum soldier? Why was he buried 300 miles away under snow in a secluded wooded area in Sussex County? What led authorities to charge another soldier from the same New York military base with first-degree murder? Who is the 16-year-old also charged with the murder?

All these questions and more remain unanswered as the numerous agencies overseeing the case are still "piecing it together," Sussex County First Assistant Prosecutor Gregory Mueller told the New Jersey Herald.

The investigation is focusing on a motive for the Dec. 19 killing of Army Cpl. Hayden Harris as well as how the suspects and the victim ended up in Byram. Was it just a random exit off Route 80 to Route 206 and eventually to secluded Ross Road, or was there a reason the area was chosen?

Flowers and wreaths in memory of Army Cpl. Hayden Harris lie at the end of Ross Road in Byram near the woods where Harris' body was found Dec. 19. A message on one bouquet of flowers to the Harris family reads, "From one Army mom to another: May your son rest in peace."

Late Monday afternoon, the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office announced first-degree murder charges against Pvt. Jamaal Mellish, 23, and a 16-year-old boy, whose name has not been made public, in the killing of Harris.

In addition to murder and kidnapping charges, Mellish and the juvenile were charged with second-degree possession of a weapon without a permit and second-degree possession of weapons for unlawful purposes. Mellish was also charged with third-degree suppression of evidence.

Cpl. Hayden Harris

First responders discovered Harris' body with a gunshot wound to his head at the end of Ross Road in Byram Dec. 19. The victim had been reported missing from Fort Drum the previous day.

The cul-de-sac where Harris' body was found was quiet and nondescript Thursday morning, except for a makeshift memorial to the soldier created by visitors to the site.

The memorial featured an American flag and a U.S. Army flag, flowers, wreaths and a cross. An unsigned note attached to a bunch of flowers was addressed to Harris' family and reads: "From one Army mom to another: May your son rest in peace."

Harris — known as "Opie" in his rural hometown of Guys, Tennessee, due to his red hair — had an infectious smile and one passion in life: to join the U.S. Army, said family friend Claire Hallissy. That dream came to a mysterious end earlier this month in Byram, 1,000 miles from Guys and 300 from Fort Drum, where he had been stationed since July 2019.

Byram Police found Harris' body, nearly buried under snow, approximately 200 feet into the woods off the Ross Road cul-de-sac. Firefighters called police to the scene after they found blood and several scattered items while on their annual Santa ride through the township.

Hayden Harris and his mom, Cristy Harris, at a championship baseball game in McNairy County, Tennessee, in 2018.

According to authorities, Mellish and Harris met to exchange vehicles in Watertown, New York, about 10 miles southwest of Fort Drum, shortly before Harris was reported missing. A dispute may have been what led to Mellish abducting Harris and driving to his hometown of Brooklyn before continuing to Byram, where investigators believe Harris was killed.

Authorities have not released any more information on the teen charged, including his hometown or relationship to the soldiers.

Harris, who joined the army in March 2019, was promoted to corporal following his death.

Flags, flowers and wreaths in memory of Army Cpl. Hayden Harris lie at the end of Ross Road in Byram near the woods where Harris' body was found Dec. 19.

Mellish is being held in military custody in Oneida County, New York. The 16-year-old is lodged in a juvenile detention facility, the prosecutor's office said. 

The arrest of the two suspects involved a collaborative effort by the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office; the Byram Police Department; New Jersey State Police; the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate of the U.S. Army Fort Drum & 10th Mountain Division; the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command at Fort Drum; the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office; the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department; and the NYPD Department of Investigations Squad.

Previous reporting by Lori Comstock is included in this report.