Police now believe the body found behind an abandoned house on Old Lorton Road is that of a young Hispanic man who was shot to death in the place where he was found. An autopsy determined that the man was killed by several gunshot wounds to the upper body at about 9 p.m., last Sunday, June 24.
Using national fingerprint databases and other methods, homicide detectives have identified the body as that of Jose Romero, 19, of no fixed address in Los Angeles. Romero is from El Salvador, and, as of the Connection’s press time, police have not yet located his family.
A security guard discovered the body late Monday afternoon while making what police called a "routine check" of the property.
Police spokesman Don Gotthardt said the house had been abandoned for years and was once the home of either the warden or the assistant warden of Lorton Prison. He said he was not sure how often the property was checked or who employed the security guard.
Old Lorton Road is a cut through between Lorton Road and Furnace Road. Police are asking citizens who were in the area between 8 and 10 p.m. the night of Sunday, June 24, to call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477) or the police at 703-691-2131 if they saw or heard anything suspicious.
— Mike DiCicco