A young, ambitious Army soldier who “could have done great things” was found shot to death in Illinois, and his loved ones — and platoon leader — are demanding answers.
On March 9, the lifeless body of 19-year-old Byron Gettis Jr. was discovered in East St. Louis, having been shot multiple times. His mother, Latricia Gettis, last saw him alive on Friday, March 7, and when he didn’t show up for his Army Reserve drill over the weekend, her “mother’s intuition” kicked into high gear.
“I knew something was off once he didn’t come home and I didn’t hear from him. I kept calling the phone, and it kept going to voicemail. That’s when I knew something was wrong. I felt it,” Latricia told NBC affiliate KSDK, 5 On Your Side.
Before the weekend ended, Latricia filed a missing persons report with the police.
Within hours, her worst fears came true when her slain son was discovered in an alleyway of a residential area, reportedly covered up with a tarp.
According to the St. Clair County coroner, he was shot approximately one hour before his body was found. His father, Byron Gettis Sr., a former Major League Baseball player for the Kansas City Royals, rushed to the scene of the crime in panic to be by his son’s side.
“(It’s) very shocking, disheartening, to see your son laying down the alley. To witness that, that was very heartbreaking,” Latricia told the outlet.
Illinois State Police hope to solve the case quickly, but his murder is puzzling everyone who knew him. His platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Vanessa Lauterwasser, sang his praises to news outlets, describing his positive attitude and talent for motivating those around him.
“He was one that was taken too soon. He had a lot of great potential and could have done great things within the Army Reserve and his personal career as well. Any task that I gave him or his squad leader gave him, he would always complete to the best of his ability,” she said. “Even if it was the most boring or dullest task, he was always ready to go. He’s going to be missed.”
In an official statement obtained by KSDK, the Army Reserve echoed her comments, describing Gettis as someone who “conducted himself like a soldier and trained hard. He loved putting on his uniform and being a soldier in the United States Army Reserve… He will be missed and never forgotten.”
The young soldier had been looking forward to a deployment in Kuwait at the end of March, his mother confirmed. “I just know he was excited to go to Kuwait and he wanted to stay in the reserve and his goal was to continually moving and escalate up the ladder,” she remarked, adding that he never got into trouble and had “a good head on his shoulders,” balancing two jobs with school and his Army duties.
His father, now a high school football coach, posted a tribute to his son on Instagram, with the caption “Lord have mercy.” The community has been rallying around the family with an outpouring of support while the case is under investigation.
“I just wish he wasn’t where he was. I think he was at the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people,” his mother told the outlet. “I think if he would have never left that Friday night, he’d be still here or if he wasn’t with whoever he was with, that would have never happened.”
She continued. “I think he was snatched from me. He shouldn’t have been. Hopefully they just find the ones who did this to my baby. I just want his justice to be served.”
