Maryland

Police Release Photos of Tattoos, Clothes in Hopes of Identifying Bethesda Homicide Victim

Warning: This story has images of the victim's tattoos that some may find disturbing.

Montgomery County police have released photos of clothing items and tattoos in the hopes of identifying a man who was found dead near a bus stop in Bethesda, Maryland, Monday night.

Montgomery County police said they received the call about 5:30 p.m. Monday about the body along the side of Old Georgetown Road near the Lone Oak Drive intersection.

A woman who works nearby discovered the body and called 911.

"It was a black tarp or bag of some sort; it was some type of covering," she said. "And it had the drawstring on it and it was kind of open, so that's when I pulled it back and I saw the two legs."

She said the body was in the fetal position with the legs bent at the knees. 

"I was terrified at first," she said. "It's not something that you want to see, but I stayed as calm as I could and I knew that I needed to call the police."

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The man was Hispanic and 20 to 30 years old, police said Tuesday.

Police released photos of the victim’s tattoos and clothing in the hope that someone may recognize them.

Victims Tattoos
Policía del condado montgomery
Clockwise from top left: Tattoo on upper left arm; tattoo on lower left arm; tattoo on left thumb that says "Delacruz"

Homicide detectives and crime scene investigators responded to the scene and collected potential evidence. They did not open the bag or examine the body at the scene because it was windy and they wanted to preserve the evidence.

The medical examiner determined the death was a homicide.

Detectives do not believe the man was killed at the bus stop where his body was found.

"It is an unusual place," Montgomery County police Capt. Tom Jordan said. "That's why we're hoping — because of the number of people that traverse that area — we're hoping someone saw something and can give us a call."

The bus stop where the remains were found isn't far from the popular Wildwood Shopping Center. Three churches and a child care center are also nearby.

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