Pat Dollard | Young Americans

In this undated file photo released by the U.S. Army, Spc. Alex R. Jimenez is seen. The father of Jimenez of Lawrence said his son’s body has been found in Iraq. Andy Jimenez said uniformed military officials came to his home Thursday to tell him the body of his son had been discovered. Sgt. Jimenez, 25, was one of three members of the 2nd Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division kidnapped by terrorists during an ambush in May 2007.

LAWRENCE, Mass. (AP) - Families say the bodies of two U.S. soldiers missing in Iraq for more than a year have been found.
The father of Army Sgt. Alex Jimenez of Lawrence says the military told him Thursday that the remains of his son were identified in Iraq.

The stepfather of Pfc. Byron Fouty of Waterford, Mich., says that soldier’s remains were also found there.

The Pentagon has made no official announcement. It usually does not release news publicly until 24 hours after families are notified.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

In this Feb. 5, 2007 file photo., U.S. Army Spc. Alex Jimenez, from Lawrence, Mass., of Delta Company, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment lifts weights near Youssifiyah, 12 miles (20 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq. The father of Jimenez of Lawrence said his son’s body has been found in Iraq. Andy Jimenez said uniformed military officials came to his home Thursday to tell him the body of his son had been discovered. Sgt. Jimenez, 25, was one of three members of the 2nd Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division kidnapped by terrorists during an ambush in May 2007

LAWRENCE, Mass. (AP)—The father of an Army sergeant who has been missing for more than a year in Iraq said Thursday that his son’s body has been found there.

Sgt. Alex Jimenez was one of three members of the 2nd Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division kidnapped during an ambush in May 2007. His father, Andy Jimenez of Lawrence, said uniformed military officials came to his home Thursday to tell him the body had been discovered.

“I have lost all hope. Oh, my God. I have lost all hope,” Jimenez said upon learning his son’s fate, according to the Eagle-Tribune of Lawrence.

Also seized were Pfc. Byron Fouty of Waterford, Mich., and Pfc. Joseph Anzack Jr. of Torrance, Calif. Anzack’s body was found in the Euphrates River.

A spokeswoman for the Jimenez family did not immediately return calls seeking comment from The Associated Press, and the military would not immediately confirm the report. The Pentagon generally waits 24 hours after notifying the next of kin before making a release public.

Andy Jimenez learned of the news from an officer who read a letter in Spanish, according to media reports. It said that a medical examiner in Iraq had identified the remains as his son’s, and that searchers had found some of his belongings.

The soldier’s mother, Maria Duran of New York, got a call from her sister saying military officers were waiting at her house. She came home and got the news.

“My heart sunk,” she told the Eagle-Tribune through sobs. “The worry of not knowing his whereabouts was bad, but now that we know, the pain of losing my son will never end.”