Maryland

Body Found in Alleghany Co. Identified as Missing DC Person

Police identified body found in Little Orleans, Maryland, as young father missing from D.C.

A dead body found in Allegany County has been identified as a young father who went missing from D.C. last October, police said Tuesday.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore identified the body as Ariel Espinal, 27, who was reported missing from the Washington, D.C., area on Oct. 8, 2016. Examiners used medical records and X-rays to identify the body because of its decomposition.

People camping near Hoop Pole Road in Little Orleans, Maryland, discovered and reported a clothed, decomposed body in the area on April 21. Investigators from the Combined County Criminal Investigation, a Maryland state task force, and the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit later located the body approximately 15-20 feet from the road, down an embankment.

A soon-to-be married father of one son, Espinal worked at Annie’s Hardware in Petworth. 

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Maryland State Police at the Cumberland barrack at 301-729-2101.

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