Pvt. Richard Halliday has been missing from Fort Bliss, Texas, since July 24, 2020. The search continues for the soldier and there is a $25,000 reward for credible information on his whereabouts. (Patricia Halliday)
The military has reiterated an appeal for information on the whereabouts of a Fort Bliss soldier who went missing 18 months ago.
Despite “numerous searches and intensive investigative efforts” since then, investigators have yet to uncover any credible information regarding the disappearance of Pvt. Richard Halliday, a statement said Wednesday.
The 22-year-old was last seen at the Texas base on July 23, 2020, shortly after being disciplined by his unit — the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command — for violating orders, according to military officials and Halliday’s family.
Search efforts to date have included 240 interviews, 70 subpoenas and examinations of financial institutions, email accounts, phone numbers and social media accounts associated with the soldier, the military said.
“Since assuming control of this investigation, U.S. Army (Criminal Investigation Division) has pursued all credible information,” Wednesday’s statement said, adding that 15 federal, state and local agencies are continuing the search.
“We remind our community and anyone who receives this message that they can help us find Pvt. Halliday,” it said.
A reward of $25,000 is being offered for credible information about Halliday’s disappearance. A forensic examination of the soldier’s barracks room showed no signs of foul play or suspicious activity.
Fort Bliss officials contend Halliday left the base on his own and is a deserter. But his family believes his disappearance could have been avoided had they been aware that he was having trouble adjusting after returning from a deployment to Qatar.
Halliday, who is 5 feet, 9 inches and weighed 162 pounds when he went missing, enlisted in the Army in April 2019. After initial entry training at Fort Sill, Okla., he reported to Fort Bliss, where he was assigned to D Battery, 1-43rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 32nd Army Air Missile Defense Command.
Any information on Halliday’s whereabouts can be reported anonymously by phone at 1-915-586-1700 or online at www.cid.army.mil.
Phillip Walter Wellman
Phillip is a reporter and photographer for Stars and Stripes, based in Kaiserslautern, Germany. From 2016 to 2021, he covered the war in Afghanistan from Stripes’ Kabul bureau. He is a graduate of the London School of Economics.
