Staff Sgt. Meiziaha T. Cooper and her husband Desmond Cooper were discovered alongside the bodies of their 4- and 9-year-old children at the on-post Fort Stewart property just past 2 p.m. Wednesday, the Army said.
Loved ones identified the children as Juice and Desmond Jr.
The grim discovery was made after Meiziaha Cooper’s unit requested a welfare check.
Army officials have not disclosed the family’s cause of death or said who perpetrated the violence.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Staff Sgt. Cooper’s family, friends and teammates during this very difficult and tragic time,” 3rd Infantry Division Deputy Commander of Operations Col. Jeremy S. Wilson said in a statement.
“Our community has been shaken by this unspeakable tragedy and out of respect to the family, we ask for privacy to grieve this loss.”
According to Army officials, Meiziaha Cooper was a decorated culinary noncommissioned officer who had joined the military ranks in October 2012.
Staff Sgt. Meiziaha T. Cooper was remembered by fellow soldiers as “the best work mom anyone could ever ask for.” Michaela Greene/Facebook
Her awards included four Army Commendation Medals and six Army Achievement Medals.
Her fellow soldiers mourned her as a dedicated and caring coworker, with one affectionately dubbing her “the best work mom anyone could ever ask for.”
“You showed up for us when you didn’t have to, you made sure you helped us with any goals and accomplishments that we wanted to pursue in the military, you were there for us when it came to our personal problems… you were a mentor, a mom but a FRIEND to us inexperienced soldiers,” soldier Michaela Greene mourned on Facebook.
Juice and Desmond, Jr, the couple’s 4- and 9-year-old children, were found dead alongside their parents. Meiziaha Cooper/Facebook
NCO Shan Collier lauded Meiziaha Cooper as “one of the biggest blessings God had to offer” Fort Stewart.
“Every one (sic) just leaned on you, even the soldiers who weren’t assigned to you. But that didn’t matter because you always offered love and care with open arms to everyone regardless. You literally changed me for the best. You taught me to be the nurturing, open minded, selfless NCO I am today and man this hurts so bad,” she wrote.
An Army spokesperson told The Post that Desmond Cooper was a “prior service veteran,” but declined to elaborate on his service or conditions for discharge.
Desmond Cooper was a “prior service veteran,” the Army confirmed. Desmond Cooper/Facebook
Despite the domestic ruling, officials have not yet indicated whether the incident will be considered a crime.
Fort Stewart is the biggest Army post east of the Mississippi River and is located about 40 miles southwest of Savannah.
The family’s death is the latest in a string of tragic deaths to swarm the Army base.
The family’s death was ruled “domestic in nature.” Meiziaha Cooper/Facebook
Last year, Spc. Shay A. Wilson, 28, of Queens, New York, allegedly used a privately owned firearm to gun down 30-year-old Sgt. Nathan Hillman of Plum, Pennsylvania, inside one of the fort building complexes.
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