(Updated at 5:15 p.m.) Two people died in separate house fires over the weekend, the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department says.
The first fire occurred in the 3800 block of Kings Hill Court in Mount Vernon around 5:58 p.m. on Saturday (Jan. 20).
Summoned by a neighbor who saw a fire from the back of a two-story single-family house, firefighters arrived to see the blaze making its way from the first floor up to the second floor, according to an FCFRD press release.
After “quickly” extinguishing the fire, firefighters found a man described as elderly inside the house. He was taken with life-threatening injuries to a hospital, where he later died, the department said.
“The cause of death is pending an autopsy and toxicology report from the medical examiner,” the department said in a news release today (Monday). “There were no firefighter injuries.”
Investigators determined that the house had smoke alarms, but it’s unclear if they were triggered by the fire, which started in the living room.
The exact cause of the fire hasn’t yet been determined, according to the fire department. Some residents of the house who weren’t home at the time of the fire have been displaced.
The FCFRD estimates that the fire resulted in approximately $475,500 in property damages.
Just before 6pm this evening units from #FCFRD responded to a house fire in the 3800 blk of Kings Hill Ct. Crews arrived with fire showing. The fire is out. During fire attack crews located and rescued one occupant. The occupant has been transported to a nearby hospital. pic.twitter.com/vlh7Nr9VET
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) January 21, 2024
Later that evening, the fire department responded at approximately 11:23 p.m. to another fire at a two-story, single-family house, this time in the 8200 block of Mockingbird Drive in Annandale’s Wakefield neighborhood.
According to the FCFRD, arriving crews saw “heavy fire” visible from the house’s roof. A woman was found inside and taken to a hospital, where she later died from her injuries.
As in the Mount Vernon fire, no firefighter injuries were reported, and the woman’s cause of death will be officially determined by an autopsy and toxicology report from the medical examiner.
“The fire was called in by a neighbor who reported seeing flames from the roof of the home,” the FCFRD said. “The origin of the fire was within the attic space of the structure. The cause has been attributed to a fault within the electrical lighting branch circuit related to the second-floor bathroom.”
The Wakefield fire produced approximately $639,913 in damages, the fire department reported.
These are the first fatal fire incidents of 2024, but on Dec. 11, a man was found dead in a McLean house where a two-alarm fire broke out.
Units are on the scene of a house fire in the 8200 blk of Mockingbird Dr. Crews arrived with fire through the roof. The fire is out. During fire attack crews located and rescued one occupant. The occupant has been transported to a nearby hospital. Fire investigators are on scene. pic.twitter.com/dB9fOBhu5L
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) January 21, 2024
A Woodbridge man died Tuesday (Dec. 12) after getting shot in the Kingstowne area earlier that afternoon.
Fairfax County police officers were called to the 5300 block of Harbor Court Drive at 1:47 p.m. for a report of a shooting. A 911 caller said they saw someone pull out a gun and shoot at a black Dodge Charger, which drove off, according to the dispatch on Open MHz.
Officers didn’t find a victim or suspect while searching the area, but the Prince William County Police Department later received a call about a man with a gunshot wound at a local hospital. The Fairfax County Police Department says it was notified around 2:30 p.m.
Identified as Bryant Anthony Gillis, 23, the man died at the hospital.
“Detectives determined a friend who was with Gillis at the time of shooting drove him to the hospital,” the FCPD said, noting that he had arrived at the hospital in a black Dodge Charger.
As of 6:30 p.m. yesterday (Wednesday), police were still searching for a suspect. Based on evidence gathered so far, detectives believe the shooting was “isolated in nature,” an FCPD spokesperson said.
“Detectives are still looking into several leads. The suspect is still at large at this time,” the department’s public affairs bureau told FFXnow.
Preliminarily, this does not appear to be a random act. The suspect is still outstanding. Detectives continuing to investigate follow our blog, https://t.co/YUigMm3yDx for additional details when available.
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) December 13, 2023
Local police are turning to the public for help identifying the person who stabbed and killed a dog in Centreville earlier this month.
A community member found the dead pit bull mix on Dec. 3 near a wooded trail that connects Route 29 and South Barros Court behind the Barros South townhomes, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
A necropsy determined that the dog had been stabbed multiple times, police say. The dog is described as a young gray and white female.
“Officers believe the dog was likely left in the area for less than 24 hours prior to the community member discovering her,” the FCPD said. “Officers are asking community members who live near O’Day Drive and Barros Drive to review home surveillance footage.”
The police department is also encouraging anyone who might have driven on Route 29 that day and noticed suspicious activity to contact its Animal Protection Police at 703-691-2131.
The FCPD accepts anonymous tips through Crime Solvers, which can be reached online or by calling 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477).
Fairfax County police are investigating the death of a teenager who experienced a drug overdose while at her home in Seven Corners earlier this week.
Detectives have determined that the girl became unconscious while on a video chat with a friend from an apartment in the 2900 block of John Marshall Drive on Monday (Dec. 4), the Fairfax County Police Department reported today (Wednesday).
“The friend alerted a family member who found the juvenile unresponsive and called 911,” police said.
When officers responded to the scene at 6 p.m., they found that the teen was unconscious and not breathing. She was transported to a hospital, where she died.
The FCPD says detectives “found evidence of narcotic usage nearby.” Major Crimes Bureau and Opioid Investigation Unit detectives are collaborating on the investigation.
The fatal overdose was first reported yesterday by WJLA, which identified the teen as a Justice High School student based on a letter sent to the community by Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid.
The FCPD didn’t confirm the teen’s school, since the overdose didn’t occur on school property. FCPS deferred to the police department when asked for comment about the incident.
Earlier this year, the Fairfax County Health Department reported a concerning uptick in overdoses among youth, nearly all of them involving fentanyl. As of Oct. 31, there have been 50 non-fatal opioid overdoses by people 17 and younger, and there were three fatal overdoses in that age group as of June 30, according to the county’s data dashboard.
Last month, Gov. Glenn Youngkin directed local schools to notify families about school-related overdoses after Loudoun County reportedly saw 10 non-fatal overdoses between the beginning of the school year in August and November, including eight in three weeks at Park View High School.
In Arlington, two people were charged after a pair of teen girls were hospitalized for drug overdoses at Wakefield High School on Sept. 27.
The FCPD advises families to encourage open communication, awareness and education for both parents and children about the risks of drug use.
Know the Signs: Be aware of the signs of drug use, such as sudden changes in behavior, declining academic performance, changes in friend groups, or unexplained financial difficulties. If you suspect drug involvement, seek professional help immediately.
Secure Medications: Safeguard prescription medications at home, keeping them locked away and out of reach of children and teenagers. Dispose of expired or unused medications properly through safe at-home disposal methods or designated drop-off locations in your community.
Supportive Environment: Foster a healthy and supportive environment within your family and community. Encourage participation in extracurricular activities, hobbies, and sports, providing positive outlets for expression and personal growth.
Community Collaboration: Engage with community organizations, schools, and local law enforcement agencies to collectively address the issue of youth drug usage. Participate in neighborhood watch programs, community events, and initiatives that promote drug prevention, like the Fairfax Prevention Coalition. Share messages from the County’s Opioid Communications Toolkit with your neighbors, family and friends.
Sign up for a virtual training on how to recognize the signs and symptoms of an opioid overdose and administer naloxone nasal spray to reverse an opioid overdose. After completing the training, individuals 18 and older will receive Narcan, fentanyl test strips and treatment information.
For life-threatening situations, community members should call 911, the FCPD says.
“Fairfax County Fire and Rescue personnel carry medication that can prevent deaths from opioid overdose,” police said in the news release.
Treatment services are available through the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB). The agency’s entry and referral line can be contacted at 703-383-8500, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The CSB’s emergency services line is available 24 hours a day at 703-573-5679, and the Fairfax Detoxification Center can be reached at 703-502-7000.
Updated at 5:40 p.m. — A man identified as a person of interest in Cara Abbruscato’s death was arrested in New Jersey today and has been charged with second-degree murder, Fairfax County police announced shortly after noon.
Earlier: Foul play is suspected in the death of a woman whose body was found at the Burke Lake Park campgrounds on Saturday (Sept. 30).
Detectives with the Fairfax County Police Department’s Major Crimes Bureau are investigating the case as a homicide after the Chief Medical Examiner’s office detected “evidence of trauma to the upper body,” the FCPD said in a news release yesterday (Sunday).
According to police, officers were dispatched to the park at 7315 Ox Road in Fairfax Station around 3:09 p.m. on Saturday in response to a 911 call.
The dispatcher told responding officers that, based on the call, a person’s leg and foot were seen sticking out of a tent surrounded by flies, according to scanner traffic on Open MHz. Park staff who called to the person got no response.
“Upon arrival, officers discovered Cara Abbruscato, a 40-year-old resident of Fairfax, inside a tent,” the FCPD said. “Fairfax County Fire and Rescue personnel pronounced her deceased on the scene.”
The exact cause and manner of death will be determined by an autopsy.
Police are asking the public for assistance in locating a man named Rami El Sayed who has been identified as a “person of interest.”
“Additionally, we are asking the community to come forward if they were at Burke Lake Park campground and noticed a makeshift tent…between September 19th and September 30th,” the FCPD said.
The FCPD’s Major Crimes Bureau can be contacted at 703-246-7800, option 2. The department also accepts anonymous tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone (1-866-411-TIPS) and online.
Photo via Google Maps
Fairfax County police are investigating a possibly drug-related death after a man allegedly broke into a Springfield house, sans clothes, early this morning (Wednesday).
Officers got a call at 12:30 a.m. for “a nude man acting erratically and forcing entry into a residential home” in the 5700 block of Ash Drive, the Fairfax County Police Department reported in a news release.
“The homeowner reported the unknown man appeared to be under the influence and forced his way into the house,” the FCPD said. “Responding officers found the man inside, lying on the floor, and detained him. No force was used by the officers.”
According to police, the officers rolled the man onto his side and sought medical help from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department personnel “due to his apparent altered state.”
Before medics arrived, though, the man “became unresponsive,” prompting police to administer CPR until he could be transported to the hospital, the FCPD said.
While transporting the man, FCFRD personnel gave him two rounds of Narcan — an emergency medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose — but he died at the hospital, according to police.
The incident is now under police investigation. An exact cause of death will be determined by an autopsy conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
“All information provided in this release is based on preliminary investigative findings and may be subject to revision as the investigation progresses,” the FCPD said.
Back in June, the police department reported that a 16-year-old boy had died from an apparent opioid overdose in a car parked outside Aldi in Bailey’s Crossroads. However, a subsequent investigation revealed that the teen had actually died from carbon monoxide poisoning, leading his mother to call on the FCPD to correct the public record.
(Updated at 4 p.m.) Fairfax County police are investigating two deaths at an apartment in Annandale.
Officers responded to the 4100 block of Wadsworth Court earlier this afternoon after a man and a woman, both adults, were found dead in the Fairmont Gardens Apartments, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
“There is no apparent threat to public safety,” the FCPD said. “Detectives are responding to investigate the circumstances.”
A department spokesperson said it’s too early to comment on the circumstances or cause of the deaths, including whether any crime is suspected. The relationship between the two individuals has also not yet been determined.
“The scene is contained to an apartment. An autopsy will be completed tomorrow and updates will be provided,” the FCPD said in an update at 4 p.m.
Officers are on the scene of a death investigation in the 4100 Blk of Wadsworth Ct, in Annandale. An adult man & woman were found deceased inside an apartment. There is no apparent threat to public safety. Detectives are responding to investigate the circumstances. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/zzRIPCaOjU
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) August 22, 2023
Another person in custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center has died.
Latasha Dove, a 53-year-old woman, was found unresponsive in her cell at the jail on Tuesday (Aug. 1) afternoon, the Fairfax County Police Department reported yesterday (Wednesday).
According to the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office, the post deputy called in a medical emergency at 2:27 p.m. Scanner traffic on Open MHz indicates that an Emergency Medical Services team from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department was dispatched for a cardiac arrest around 2:31 p.m.
“The deputy immediately rendered aid until relieved by ADC medical personnel. Rescue arrived and transported the inmate to the hospital,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Dove was declared dead at the hospital at 3:13 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office.
Dove’s death is now being investigated by the FCPD, as required by county policy.
According to the police and court records, Dove was arrested on July 26 and faced charges of simple assault and property destruction. The assault charge was a misdemeanor, while the destruction of property charge was a class 6 felony, meaning the value of the destroyed property was over $1,000.
Dove remained in custody at the jail after Fairfax County General District Court Judge Mark Simmons set a cash bond for her at a bond hearing on Monday (July 31).
“The judge decided that she was an appropriate candidate for bail yet set a cash bond knowing that she was indigent,” said Fairfax County Public Defender Dawn Butorac, whose office represented Dove. “That means that Judge Simmons found that she was neither a danger to the community nor a risk of flight. It was simply Ms. Dove’s poverty that kept her in jail instead of being in the community. This is a clear demonstration of the perversity of a cash bail system.”
Though Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano has had a policy against seeking cash bail since March 2020, prosecutors objected to the possibility that Dove could be released at the bond hearing, Butorac told FFXnow.
The Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney didn’t immediately return a request for comment. The office recommends defendants be released in 59% of non-violent felony cases, as of March, according to a bond data dashboard launched last fall.
According to the FCPD, foul play isn’t suspected in Dove’s death, but the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine an official cause.
Listed in court records as a Los Angeles, California, resident, Dove is the second person to die while in custody at the Adult Detention Center this summer, following 51-year-old Todd Matthew Gleason’s death on July 4. The jail had three in-custody deaths in 2022.
Before the police department announced its investigation, the sheriff’s office published a news release yesterday about a deputy and nurse’s successful efforts to save an inmate who had overdosed on opioids on July 29.
A driver who crashed into a car with four teenagers, killing one of them, in Burke last night (Tuesday) might have been speeding, Fairfax County police say.
A preliminary investigation suggests the adult, male driver was driving a 2014 Cadillac XTS4 west on Burke Centre Parkway when he crashed into a 2023 Kia Forte attempting to exit the Burke Centre Shopping Center parking lot, the Fairfax County Police Department said in a news release today.
Police responded to the scene in the 5700 block of Burke Centre Parkway at 9 p.m. yesterday.
The Kia driver died at the scene, and three passengers — all juveniles — were transported to a hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries. All of them remain hospitalized, according to police.
State law prohibits police departments from publicly sharing information about juvenile victims without parental consent.
The Cadillac driver, who also hasn’t been publicly identified, was taken to a hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening.
“Preliminarily, detectives believe speed was a contributing factor in the crash,” the FCPD said. “Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances that led to the crash and determine appropriate charges.”
This was the eighth fatal crash on Fairfax County roads in 2023 that didn’t involve a pedestrian — and the second such crash in as many days after 27-year-old Mahdere Fassil died in a crash in Fort Belvoir on Monday (July 17).
After seeing a sharp increase in pedestrian fatalities last year, the county has recently undertaken a variety of measures aimed at improving traffic safety, from speed cameras in school zones to a study of turn-calming measures designed to slow down vehicles.
The Fairfax County Police Department launched a “Road Shark” campaign this spring to crack down on aggressive driving behaviors, including speeding. A third “wave” of the enforcement effort took place during the week of July 10 after previous iterations collectively resulted in more than 8,000 citations.
Photo via FCPD/Facebook
A man who was hospitalized while in custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center has died, triggering a police investigation.
Todd Matthew Gleason, 51, died Tuesday morning (July 4) just hours after a magistrate approved his release, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. He was taken to a hospital from the jail on Monday after telling sheriff’s deputies that he had “pain to his stomach and leg,” police said.
Gleason sustained injuries after being hit by a car, an incident that occurred before his arrest, according to the Fairfax County Office of the Public Defender, which was representing him.
Gleason was arrested on June 17 for a petit larceny that allegedly occurred on June 15, according to Fairfax County General District Court records. Mount Vernon District patrol officers also served him a warrant for failure to appear on a felony offense, the FCPD said Wednesday.
“There was no force used during Gleason’s arrest,” the department said. “Following his arrest, Gleason requested to be taken to the hospital for a preexisting injury. Officers facilitated his request, and he was medically cleared by hospital staff the same day.”
However, Gleason was still experiencing medical issues from his injuries while in custody at the Adult Detention Center, the public defender’s office says.
“Mr. Gleason continued to have medical issues from those injuries during his incarceration,” Fairfax Public Defender Dawn Butorac said by email. “He advised his attorneys of such and it is my understanding that he also advised the jail staff as well. It appears that his complaints were not taken seriously until July 3rd.”
That morning, the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office requested an ambulance to take Gleason back to the hospital, according to the police.
Police say a magistrate granted Gleason a release on recognizance at 9:22 pm on Monday, July 3, a date confirmed to FFXnow by a General District Court clerk.
“Any medical complaints are taken seriously and fully addressed by our medical team,” Casey Lingan, general counsel for the sheriff’s office, said.
Noting that the county jail “is nationally accredited by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care,” Lingan said the office can’t provide any information about medical care given to individuals in the facility, citing confidentiality laws under HIPAA and the Code of Federal Regulations.
An autopsy to determine the manner and cause of Gleason’s death is being conducted by Northern Virginia’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The final results could take 12 or more weeks, depending on the complexity of the case, according to the office.
Fairfax County court records show a string of previous charges against Gleason, dating back to Oct. 24, 2020. It’s unclear whether any of them resulted in convictions.
The charges are mostly misdemeanors, including multiple petit larcenies, trespassing, public intoxication and failures to appear in court. There are two felony drug possession charges, most recently for an April 8 offense, and one felony for wearing a mask.
Gleason had been scheduled for an adjudicatory hearing on Sept. 14.
The Fairfax County Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney said it had no comment on the case at this time, but called Gleason’s death “a tragedy.”
No other deaths have been reported at the county jail this year, but three people died while incarcerated last year.
That includes 65-year-old George Redmond and 55-year-old Kyung Pil Chang, who died within two days of each other in late March 2022. Glenn Meyer, who was charged in a Pimmit Hills shooting in 2020, died last July after a medical emergency, police said at the time.