Reward Offered for Information on Missing Ft. Bliss Soldier

EL PASO, TX – U.S Army Criminal Investigation Command announced that it is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for credible information leading to the location of a Fort Bliss, Texas, soldier who has been missing since late July.

Pvt. Richard Halliday, a 21-year-old Caucasian male last seen leaving his barracks room July 23, has been the subject of an expanded search effort, Fort Bliss officials announced last week.

Despite Halliday's disappearance, CID officials say there is "no indication of foul play or any specific suspicious circumstances," according to a CID news release.

An in-depth forensic search of Halliday's barracks room did not reveal signs of foul play or suspicious activity, it adds.

Special agents and local law enforcement have interviewed dozens of military personnel, as well as Halliday's friends and family. Agents have participated in searches of more than 80 barracks rooms, along with consensual searches of numerous homes in the local community and interviews with the homeowners in conjunction with local law enforcement, according to the release.

Dozens of special agents, along with military police and personnel from the Fort Bliss Directorate of Emergency Services, have participated in a search of approximately a six-square-mile radius using Halliday's unit as the center point, it adds. The search included sinkholes, water drainages, water sewage systems, water canals and railroad tracks, both on and off post. Agents also searched nearby homeless areas, as well as downtown El Paso, Texas.

"We take this very seriously and a host of other investigative techniques have been employed in the search for Pvt. Halliday, and we will continue to investigate until we determine what happened to this soldier," CID spokesman Chris Grey said in the release. "If anyone has any information, we ask you to come forward and share it with us."

Agents also recently joined Bliss soldiers and volunteers in searching approximately 20 miles of trails in Franklin Mountain State Park and Indian Peak Trail near Fort Bliss. Army aviation assets assisted in the search of the state park since Halliday reportedly enjoyed camping and hiking, according to the release.

Halliday is assigned to D Battery, 1-43rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 32nd Army Air Missile Defense Command, at Fort Bliss.

He is 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 162 pounds. He was last seen wearing gray or turquoise cargo shorts, a gray T-shirt, and a charcoal gray zip-up hoodie, with dark gray running shoes that featured red, yellow and white paint stains, according to the release.

Anyone with information about Halliday can contact the Fort Bliss CID Office at 915-568-1700 or the Fort Bliss Military Police at 915-744-1237. Individuals can also submit information anonymously through the CID's site.