Subscribe
West Point Cadet Havin Morris

West Point Cadet Havin Morris (U.S. Military Academy)

A cadet at the U.S. Military Academy apparently drowned accidentally while on spring break over the weekend in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., according to police.

A police dive team on Monday night recovered the body of Cadet Havin Morris, 21, of Pleasanton, Calif., from the New River, a tidal estuary fronting the coastal city, according to an email from Fort Lauderdale Police spokeswoman Casey Liening on Wednesday.

“At this time, his death appears to be an accidental drowning and no foul play is suspected,” Liening said.

Morris was reported missing Saturday and was last seen in downtown Fort Lauderdale, according to police. He was in Fort Lauderdale with three friends, according to a report Tuesday in the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

“Cadet Morris was a valued member of the Corps of Cadets, committed to serving his country as an Army Officer. The entire West Point Community offers our heartfelt condolences to the Morris family,” West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. Steve Gilland said in a statement posted on the academy website Tuesday.

Morris’ tactical officer Maj. Rebecca Gogue Morrison described the cadet as “a bright, resilient young man with a determination to succeed in all he did,” according to the West Point statement.

The Army Criminal Investigations Command is cooperating with police on the investigation, Gilland said in the release.

In March 2022, six male West Point cadets overdosed on fentanyl while in Fort Lauderdale for spring break. First responders used Narcan to counteract the powerful synthetic opioid and revive some of the cadets, according to media reports. Two went into cardiac arrest and were placed on ventilators, according to the Sun Sentinel.

author picture
Jeremy Stillwagner is a reporter and photographer at Yokota Air Base, Japan, who enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2018. He is a Defense Information School alumnus and a former radio personality for AFN Tokyo.

Sign Up for Daily Headlines

Sign up to receive a daily email of today's top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets from around the world.

Sign Up Now