Two charged in veteran Caelick Bradley’s murder after body found at JBLM
A missing-person call on June 12 led detectives from Bradley’s apartment to JBLM, where they found his remains and filed murder charges against two 21-year-olds.
Pierce County prosecutors charged Aydee Jaqueline Casado-Dominguez and Humberto Rodriguez Hernandez with second-degree murder after investigators traced the disappearance of veteran Caelick Bradley from a welfare concern to a body recovery on Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The case also includes unlawful disposal of human remains and multiple counts of second-degree identity theft, turning the investigation into both a homicide prosecution and a financial-crime case.
Tacoma police opened the missing-person investigation on June 12, 2026, after Bradley’s mother called from Virginia because her son had stopped contacting family and friends. Court documents show Bradley was supposed to leave for Virginia on June 10, but had not spoken with his mother since June 7. The Washington State Patrol missing-person poster listed Bradley as 28 years old, about 6 feet tall and 160 pounds, missing out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord and last seen on June 8. Bradley had served at JBLM from 2017 to 2023 and was working as a security guard when he disappeared.
Detectives found Bradley’s apartment in disarray, including an eviction notice and a missing car, and friends told investigators he had been trapped in a toxic, abusive relationship with Casado-Dominguez. Court documents show Bradley’s phone pinged at the suspects’ Lakewood apartment on June 10 and June 11, and Tacoma police also learned that Bradley’s credit card was being used without authorization before focusing on Hernandez as a suspect. Prosecutors say Hernandez later admitted shooting Bradley during a dispute and led police to a gravel turnout on JBLM property, where the remains were found with blankets and ratchet straps. The recovery site was a training area near Spanaway.
Casado-Dominguez, 21, and Hernandez, 21, were booked into Pierce County Jail and appeared in court Thursday. Both pleaded not guilty and bail was set at $1 million. The murder charges also carry a firearm allegation, and Casado-Dominguez’s count includes an allegation that the crime was committed against an intimate partner. The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s public portal later listed Bradley as found dead on June 30, 2026, with cause of death pending.
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