Soldier found dead in city; police say cause is mystery

A 10th Mountain Division soldier was found dead Thursday in his apartment at 133 Scio St., and the cause of his death is a mystery, according to Watertown police.

Staff Sgt. Cody R. Anderson, 26, Lachine, Mich., was discovered dead about 8:30 a.m. Thursday after a female friend of his girlfriend, who lives out of state, went to check on his welfare, Detective Sgt. Joseph R. Donoghue said. The girlfriend had last talked to Sgt. Anderson a day earlier, and became concerned when she subsequently could not get an answer when she called the apartment. She then called the second woman.

Sgt. Anderson was found on the floor near the entryway of his apartment, and was partially dressed in military fatigues. There was no evidence of a struggle or foul play, he said. An autopsy conducted by Dr. Samuel A. Livingstone, Jefferson County medical examiner, failed to provide any indication of what caused death, and toxicology test results are being awaited. Such tests usually take at least six weeks.

City police made no disclosures about the investigation until after Fort Drum released an announcement Tuesday afternoon.

Sgt. Anderson returned in November from a deployment to Afghanistan, according to Fort Drum. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team. He was deployed to Iraq from October 2006 to November 2007.