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Man found dead near Fairfax County bridge

A man was found dead Wednesday afternoon near a Fairfax County, Virginia, bridge, not far from Mt. Zephyr Park.

Around 4 p.m., a resident walking their dog on a bridge near the intersection of Old Mill and Gateshead roads discovered the body.

“The citizen had seen something off the side of a bridge that goes over Old Mill Road that appeared to them to be a human body,” Fairfax County police Lt. Michael Shamblin told WTOP.

The body was taken to the chief medical examiner’s office, where an autopsy revealed the man had trauma to his upper body. His identity will be released after his next of kin are notified.

Detectives are investigating this incident as a homicide, but do not believe this was a random act of violence, or that there is an ongoing threat to public safety.

Detectives are asking anyone with information about this case to contact the Major Crimes Bureau at (703) 246-7800, option 4. Submit a tip anonymously online at www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org, or by texting “TIP187″ plus your message to CRIMES (274637).

This is the 12th homicide this year to date in Fairfax County.

See a map of the area where the body was found below:

[google_map latitude=”38.716172″ longitude=”-77.109150″ zoom=”15″ height=”300px” location_label=”Mt. Zephyr Park Body” dynamic_map=”false”]

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article misspelled Lt. Michael Shamblin’s name.

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This story is part of WTOP’s 2026 Back to School coverage. Heading into the new school year, WTOP sent questionnaires and requested interviews with school leaders across the D.C. region. Here’s Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid on the challenges facing her school district as the academic year begins. Roughly 130,000 students ride the bus the school, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid tells WTOP's Scott Gelman. And managing those routes comes with some challenges.
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