When a 19-year-old Army Reserve soldier didn’t return home, his family was left with a chilling gut feeling that something terrible happened. Unfortunately, their suspicions were true and now, police are on the hunt for the soldier’s killer.
The family of Pfc. Bryon Gettis Jr. says he served in the United States Army Reserve for only one year before he suddenly vanished, according to 5 On Your Side (KSDK). On Friday, March 7, Gettis’ mother tells reporters her son left the house but never made it to his army drill scheduled for the weekend. By Sunday, he still didn’t return home and she told reporters she became suspicious.
“I didn’t see his location anymore. That’s when I knew something was wrong. That was like a red flag for me. I think it was the mother’s intuition,” said Gettis’ mother, Latricia, via KSDK. “I kept calling the phone and it kept going to voicemail. That’s when I knew something was wrong. I felt it.”
The report says that day, she filed a missing persons report which triggered a police investigation. By that evening, police confirmed her worst fear: Gettis was dead.
After receiving a report of human remains, Illinois State Police say they found Gettis’ body in an alley by the 1700 block of Gay Avenue. An anonymous neighbor told KSDK they saw him wrapped in a tarp. Authorities say he was shot to death. The St. Clair County coroner determined he was shot an hour before he was found.
“I have no clue why or where did he come from, or why was he there. It’s a tragedy what happened. When I was cleaning up the yard, I noticed what appeared to be a body, which I thought was a log at first,” said Solomon Lewis, the neighbor who found Gettis Jr.’s body near his backyard, via FOX 2 Now.
Before being slain, Byron was known as a hardworking, ambitious teen having picked up two jobs in addition to school, the report says. His family also told local reporters he loved putting on his uniform and looked forward to his deployment to Kuwait scheduled for the end of March as well as a long career in the U.S. Army. He was also known as the beloved son of former MLB legend Byron Gettis Sr.
Police said because the investigation is still in its infancy stages, they have no more information to share. However, anyone with information related to the incident is encouraged to contact Illinois State Police.