Handout Photo of Killed Soldier Was Digitally Altered

A photo of a U.S. soldier provided by the U.S. military last week appears to be a composite, and the Associated Press swiftly withdrew the image.

The AP, which transmitted the photo to its members Thursday, issued a "photo elimination" notice soon after. San Antonio Express-News photojournalist Bob Owen noticed that one soldier's photo was essentially identical to the other except for the head, suggesting that a head of the soldier had been pasted over the body of the other. The Express-News then notified the AP. The alteration was caught quickly enough to keep the photo from being widely published.

Read more at NPPA News Photographer and the Express-News.

The altered photo depicted Staff Sgt. Darris J. Dawson, 24, of Pensacola, Fla. It was very similar to a photo of Sgt. Wesley R. Durbin, 26, of Hurst, Texas. Both soldiers died Sunday, Sept. 14, in Iraq. Another U.S. soldier is being held on suspicion of killing the two men, according to a U.S military news release.

So far the story ends there... News reports like this one from CNN have emphasized how little information the military has released about this incident.