West Point Cadet Who Went Missing with Rifle Found Dead on Campus

A 20-year-old West Point cadet who went missing four days ago was found dead on the military academy’s campus, officials announced Wednesday.

Authorities found the body of Kade Kurita, of Gardena, California, at 9:47 p.m. Tuesday after they conducted a search covering more than 9.4 square miles, according to a Facebook post from the military academy.

“We are grieving this loss, and our thoughts and prayers go out to Cadet Kurita’s family and friends,” Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams, 60th superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy, said in a statement.

Officials say they do not suspect foul play in the cause of his death, which is still under investigation.

Kurita was reported missing when he did not show up for a military skills competition. He was last seen on campus Friday.

The military academy said his M4 rifle was also missing, but they did not believe he was carrying any ammo when he went missing.

The New York Post reported West Point found there was “no indication” Kurita, a member of the class of 2021, was a threat to anyone else, adding that he could have posed a threat to himself.

Fellow cadets “immediately searched” for Kurita when it became apparent that he had gone missing, shortly before police were notified, Fox News reported.

Multiple law enforcement agencies spent four days looking for Kurita, including New York State Police dive teams who used sonar to search the lakes and ponds around campus and railroad police which deployed search-and-rescue dogs along the train tracks adjacent to the academy.

West Point announced Tuesday that it kept its search close to campus because Kurita had no financial or cellphone activity since his disappearance.