<p>The military followed all proper procedures in the investigation of the death of the Fort Benning soldier who was killed three days after returning from combat service in Iraq, a U.S. Army spokesman said.</p><p>The skeletal remains of Spc. Richard Davis, 24, of St. Charles, Mo. were found Friday, nearly four months after he was reported missing. He was originally listed as absent without leave.</p><p>Four soldiers at Fort Benning have been arrested and accused of stabbing Davis to death. They are accused of setting Davis body on fire and leaving it in the woods just days after their return from Iraq in July.</p><p>The Army had been criticized for waiting too long to launch the investigation into the soldiers disappearance.</p><p>The military followed all procedures necessary and also worked with Specialist Davis father to provide him with assistance and even took additional measures to try to locate Specialist Davis beyond those required by Army leadership, Col. Steven Salazar, 3rd Brigade Commander, said Thursday.</p><p>And ultimately it was the Army leadership that discovered the information that led to the discovery of the remains of Specialist Davis as well as the apprehension of the suspects.</p><p>Three of the soldiers _ Spcs. Jacob Burgoyne, Mario Naverrete and Douglas Woodcoff _ were arrested Friday and charged with murder. A judge on Monday reduced the charges against them to concealing a body, though prosecutors said they will press for murder charges.</p><p>The fourth suspect, Spc. Alberto Martinez, is awaiting extradition from California on murder charges. Police said it was Martinez who stabbed Davis while he fought with Burgoyne and Naverrete. All of the suspects are 24.</p><p>All five soldiers belonged to same company and had returned to Fort Benning from Iraq just days before the slaying. Their unit is part of the Armys 3rd Infantry Division, which led the assault on Baghdad.</p><p>All the soldiers served for 13 months in Operation Desert Spring as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.</p><p>The three soldiers under arrest in Georgia remained jailed on $25,000 bail.</p><p>Davis served in Bosnia and Kuwait and then re-enlisted. The last time his parents saw him was last November, when he headed back to the Middle East and eventually to Iraq.</p><p>Police said the soldiers had gotten angry at Davis for insulting a dancer at a strip club and getting them kicked out of the club.</p><p>Fort Benning investigators had received a tip to search the woods near the post, Salazar said.</p><p>Our priorities remain in assisting the Davis family, cooperating with civilian and military investigators as necessary and providing appropriate counsel to the soldiers in Specialist Davis unit, so they can move forward and continue their hard work and training, he said.</p><p>Salazar said there was a traditional soldiers memorial ceremony Thursday in remembrance of Davis.</p><p>Fort Benning spokeswoman Monica Manganaro said all the soldiers had taken a psychological evaluation upon returning from Iraq. She said those results would remain private because they are part of the criminal investigation.</p>
