Body Found in Potomac Believed to be Suicide

The south of Alexandria is believed to be that of a man who police think jumped off the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Tuesday night.

Maryland State Police spokesman Greg Shipley said the body, an adult male, has been taken to the state’s chief medical examiner for an autopsy and positive identification before notifying family.

At about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, two boaters in the Potomac found the body face-down in the water near Hog Island and called 911, Shipley said. Fire department rescue workers from Prince George’s County and the city of Alexandria responded to the scene and recovered the body, which was taken to the Fort Washington Marina.

“The Maryland State Police investigators were called because authorities knew that there had been an ongoing search for an individial who was believed to have jumped from the bridge on the evening of the 29th,” Shipley said.

At about 9:15 p.m. Tuesday, Maryland state troopers were called to the bridge due to a report of an unattended vehicle on the bridge, Shipley said. A pair of shoes was found outside the vehicle, but no one could be found in the area.

The U.S. Coast Guard and Maryland Department of Natural Resources conducted a search that night but were unable to locate anyone, Shipley said. They also searched Wednesday, to no avail.

Hog Island is located just east of where Morningside Lane intersects with the George Washington Memorial Parkway.