A soldier and a 16-year-old have been charged with kidnapping and killing a 20-year-old corporal whose body was found partially buried in New Jersey snow

• Private Jamaal Mellish, 20, and an unidentified teenager have been charged in connection to the killing of a 20-year-old soldier whose body was found in the woods in northern New Jersey.
• Corporal Hayden Harris was reported missing on December 18 before firefighters discovered him partially buried under snow the following day, the New Jersey Herald reported.
• Mellish and a 16-year-old are facing first-degree murder, kidnapping, and second-degree weapons charges, according to prosecutors in New Jersey.

A soldier and a teenager have been charged in connection with the killing of Corporal Hayden Harris, prosecutors in New Jersey announced last week.

Harris was found dead in a wooded area of Byram Township, New Jersey, on December 19, New Jersey's Sussex County Prosecutor Francis A. Kochas said in a press release.

Firefighters found the 20-year-old soldier with a gunshot wound to the head and partially buried in the snow, the New Jersey Herald reported.

Private Jamaal Mellish, 20, and an unidentified 16-year-old are facing charges including first-degree murder, kidnapping, and second-degree weapons charges in relation to Harris' death, according to the Sussex County press release.

Harris was supposed to meet with Mellish to exchange cars on the evening of December 17 in Glen Park, New York, which is around a 20-minute drive from Fort Drum, where Harris had been based since July 2019, according to the Herald.

Sussex County First Assistant Prosecutor Gregory Mueller told the Herald the exchange likely involved a dispute between the men that ultimately played a role in Harris' killing.

Harris was first reported missing on December 18 and his body was discovered a day later in Byram Township, New Jersey, which is over 300 miles from Glen Park.

Firefighters found Harris' body while on their annual Santa ride through the area, NBC New York reported.

Mellish is being held in military custody in pretrial confinement in Oneida County, New York, and the unnamed teen is in a juvenile detention facility, according to prosecutors.

Harris hailed from Tennessee, where he was known as "Opie" as a result of his red hair, according to NBC New York. The outlet reported that joining the US Army had been Harris' longtime "passion."

"It is well known here that Corporal Harris was a great Soldier, and we share our grief with his friends and Family," Brigadier General Brett Funck, Harris' commanding officer, said in a statement. "His death is a tremendous loss for his loved ones, this division, and our nation."

The press release notes that the investigation is still ongoing and urges anyone with information about the crime to contact authorities.

• Read more:
• A Russian YouTuber's girlfriend reportedly died during a livestream after being locked outside in the cold
• A woman believed to be a QAnon follower was charged with killing a legal theorist trying to help her regain custody of her daughters
• A California snowplow driver discovered 2 dead bodies on the side of a highway
• A man reportedly confessed to his 4-year-old daughter that he killed his pregnant girlfriend whose body was found in his freezer