LOCKWOOD, Mo -- The Dade County Sheriff's Department and the Lockwood Police Department confirm they are investigating the death of Chad Clayton.
Clayton was taken to the hospital on July 15 after sustaining severe injuries. He remained on life support throughout the weekend and passed away on July 17.
Authorities say the investigation is ongoing and would not release any other details.
Meanwhile, those that were close to Clayton confirm he was in the National Guard. He served in the 203rd Engineering Battalion. He was deployed to Afghanistan in the fall of 2009 and returned in October of 2010.
His fellow soldiers wished to remain anonymous, but told KY3 News that Clayton was a "class clown" type who always had a smile on his face and loved making others smile. He was attending Missouri State University where he was studying Criminology in hopes of entering law enforcement.
The small community of Lockwood is shocked by the incident. Many people told KY3 News that Clayton was a very nice and generous person and they couldn't imagine why something like this would happen.
