Serving US Airman Quinterius Chappelle, 24, is hit with federal second-degree murder charge for allegedly killing 21-year-old Sahela Sangrait

Chappelle was arrested for allegedly killing the native American woman on the Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City in South Dakota

Reported missing in August 2024, Sangrait’s decomposed remains were found seven months later on March 4, about 50 miles from the Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City

Authorities have not revealed time or manner of death

Chappelle, originally from Washington state, is an aircraft inspection journeyman assigned to the 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron after enlisting in 2019

The suspect is being held without bond at the Pennington County jail, is expected to be transferred to into federal custody

US airman Quinterius Chappelle, [photo], was charged with second-degree murder for the killing of 21-year-old Sahela Sangrait on the Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City, South Dakota

An active US airman has been arrested for the murder of a woman on a South Dakota military base.
Quinterius Chappelle, 24, was charged with second-degree murder for the killing of 21-year-old Sahela Sangrait, whose decomposed remains were found on March 4 about 50 miles from the Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City. 
Sangrait, who was Native American, was reported missing in August by her family.
A missing person’s poster said she had been staying with a friend in Eagle Butte, about 160 miles northeast of the Air Force base.
The poster added that Sangrait had left for Box Elder, just a few miles from the base, to pick up some items before heading to California. 
It’s not known if she ever made it to Box Elder; her family says they did not hear from her after she left Eagle Butte.
Officials have not revealed when or how Sangrait died. 

US airman Quinterius Chappelle, has been charged with the murder of 21-year-old Sahela Sangrait, [photo], a Native American, who was reported missing in August by her family

A US Air Force serviceman has been arrested for the murder of a woman on a South Dakota Air Force base.
Airman Basic Quinterius Chappelle, 24, is facing federal charges of second-degree murder for allegedly killing of 21-year-old Sahela Sangrait, whose decomposed remains were found about 50 miles from the Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City in South Dakota. 
Sangrait, who was Native American, was reported missing in August by her family. The gruesome discovery was made seven months later, on March 4.
A missing person’s poster said Sangrait who had been staying with a friend in Eagle Butte, about 160 miles northeast of the Air Force base, left for Box Elder, just a few miles from the base, to pick up some items before heading to California. 

The alleged murder happened at the Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City, [photo], hence the murder case will be tried in federal court

She was never seen again, but authorities have not revealed either time or cause of death. The nature of her relationship between the suspect and the deceased is yet to be clarified.
Investigators believe Sangrait was killed on the base, which means the case will be prosecuted by federal courts: ‘We hold airmen accountable for their actions, and if service members are found in violation of military or civilian law, they will be punished,’ Ellsworth Air Force commander Col. Derek Oakley told said. 
Chappelle, originally from Washington state, was an aircraft inspection journeyman assigned to the 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, having joined the US Air Force in 2019.
Chappelle is being held at the Pennington County jail on no bond, but is expected to be transferred to into federal custody.

Reported missing in August by her family, Sangrait’s decomposed remains were found on March 4 about 37 miles from the Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City 

Murder suspect Quinterius Chappelle, joined the US Air Force in 2019. Before his arrest, he was employed as an aircraft inspection journeyman assigned to the 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron

The deceased woman’s family accuses police of dropping the ball in her case: ‘South Dakota police failed her when they failed to take several attempts of missing person reports stemming from August 2024-February 2025.’ the family wrote in a GoFundMe page, adding, ‘Stolen sisters should not be ignored.’
The crowd funding page has raised $550 of the $10,000 goal.