A man was found stabbed to death on the steps of a D.C public library on a Saturday morning this month. He had no identification and police initially thought he was homeless.
That man was Mike Stroops, a Culpeper, Virginia, resident and father of three, his family told News4 on Monday.
Stroops was 32 and struggled with a heroin addiction that his mother thinks may have led to his death, his mother, Kathy Gochenour, said.
“I’m broken. I’m broken. My child, my only son, is gone” she said.
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Stroops was found fatally stabbed outside the Petworth Neighborhood Library in the 4200 block of Kansas Avenue on Oct. 9. First responders responded at about 8 a.m. for a report of an unconscious person and found Stroops with no signs of life.
Stroops fought addiction for 10 years, his mother said.
“I have attempted many times to try to get him help, but it would always be a relapse,” she said.
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Why did he go to D.C.?
“That’s where the drugs are,” his mother said.
A homicide investigation is ongoing, and a reward of up to $30,000 is available for information leading to a conviction. Culpeper residents added $5,000 to the reward offered by D.C. police.
