Before he went missing, the West Point cadet who ended his life posted about his plans on Snapchat.
Days after he went missing, the body of 20-year-old Kade Kurita was discovered in a basement at the elite military academy with a single gunshot wound from an M4 carbine that he had taken from the school.
Before Kurita disappeared Friday, he posted a short note to Snapchat, a mobile social media app, “alluding to the outcome” of his suicide, according to Military.com.
Massive search teams were dispatched to search for Kurita in the thousands of acres surrounding West Point, including about 130 soldiers from the 23rd Military Police Company.
“That’s why we couldn’t find him,” an unnamed official said of finding the body hidden in a basement.
Although foul play is not suspected, his death is being investigated.
“We are grieving this loss, and our thoughts and prayers go out to Cadet Kurita’s family and friends,” said West Point superintendent Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams.
According to the official, Kurita was a great student who had adapted well to the military academy.
“Based on the teachers and professors, he was an exceptional student and good at his military stuff,” the official said.
A GoFundMe page was set up to support Kurita’s mother and her five other children.
