Autopsy performed on Army officer found dead at Fort Gordon

By Travis Highfield

The Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle

Published: August 13, 2014

An autopsy has been performed on an Army officer who was found dead in a training area at Fort Gordon, Ga., and an investigative team from Fort Rucker, Ala., has taken the lead in the investigation, post officials said Tuesday.

The autopsy, performed Sunday on 2nd Lt. Anthony Thomas Scardino, 27, was conducted by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, base spokesman J.C. Matthews said. The results are pending.

A centralized accident investigation team from the U.S. Army Combat Readiness/Safety Center arrived Sunday at Fort Gordon to take over the investigation into the incident. Matthews said that is standard procedure.

“Anytime there is an accident, particularly one with a fatality, the investigation team will get involved,” he said.

The body of Scardino, a member of the Mississippi Army National Guard, was found about 10 p.m. Friday after he went missing during a training exercise, officials said. About 90 soldiers and the post’s Directorate of Emergency Services were involved in the search.

According to a statement from the post, Scardino had three deployments — two to Iraq in 2006 and one to Afghanistan in 2009 — after enlisting as a satellite communication systems operator. He received a direct commission to second lieutenant on Nov. 30, as a Signal officer.

Scardino was temporarily assigned to the 442nd Signal Battalion 15th Regimental Signal Brigade at Fort Gordon for training at the time of his death.