Marine reported missing in Pulaski County

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A marine who was attending Fort Leonard Wood for specialty school is missing, according to a Facebook post from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office.

Private First Class Kavian Elder, 19, was last seen on May 3. He is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 140 pounds, according to the post.

"a Marine, who was attending Fort Leonard Wood for MOS School, has vanished without a trace. The family has been desperately trying to find him, when he went missing, they were contacted by Fort Leonard Wood, asking if they've heard from him. There's been no signs of him since he went missing," the post says.

ABC 17 News reached out to Fort Leonard Wood for comment but was directed to a U.S. Marine Corps Training and Education Command spokesman. The spokesman confirmed in an email Elder is assigned to Marine Detachment Fort Leonard Wood.

"U.S. Marine Corps Training Command can confirm that Private First Class Kavian Elder, currently assigned to Marine Detachment Fort Leonard Wood aboard Army Garrison Fort Leonard Wood, was categorized as being in an unauthorized absence status on 4 May 2024," the spokesman said in the email. "The command's top priority is PFC Elder's safety and well-being. We remain in close contact with his family and are actively attempting to reach the Marine. There is no additional information available at this time."

According to the U.S. Marine Corps website, the unit provides training and other resources so Marines "are trained to standard while continuing the Transformation process."