Fairfax County police are still searching for the man they say killed 35-year-old Kingstowne resident Hannah Choi, whose body was found in Maryland by a passerby weeks after she went missing in early March.
Maj. Ed O’ Carroll, chief of the Fairfax County Police Department’s Major Crimes, Cyber and Forensics Bureau, called murder suspect Joel Mosso Merino, 27, of Kingstowne, the county’s “most wanted” person in a news conference on Monday (March 28).
According to a statement filed in court by FCPD Detective Jesse Thornton on March 24 as part of a search warrant, authorities believe his brother helped “in his escape from the area.” The statement says police are also trying to determine if others are helping Merino.
Choi’s body was found in Piscataway Park in Maryland on March 24. Her identity was confirmed by a medical examiner, police said.
A representative for the Maryland’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said today (Friday) that autopsy results are still pending.
Police say they still want the community’s help in locating Merino. Information can be shared with detectives by calling 703-246-7800, option 2. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477), by text or online.
The FCPD is offering a $40,000 reward for information about Merino’s whereabouts that leads to his capture.
The body found in a Maryland park on Thursday (March 24) was that of 35-year-old Hannah Choi, Fairfax County police confirmed today (Monday).
Police are still looking for Joel Mosso Merino, 27, of Alexandria, who was her ex-boyfriend and has been identified as the primary suspect in the murder investigation.
Choi’s sister, Minna Choi, said at the press conference that the family was relieved they can at least get some closure.
“I always knew my sister was a social butterfly,” Minna Choi said. “She had so many friends and connections and really the past couple weeks have really shown us particularly how much of an impact she had on…people’s lives around her.”
Amid tears, she said they will remember Hannah Choi as someone who was strong, brave, and dedicated to helping others.
“Merino needs to be caught,” Fairfax County police Maj. Ed O’Carroll said, adding that the suspect “fled like a coward.”
Police announced a $40,000 reward for information that leads to Merino’s whereabouts and arrest. The reward money is supported by donations from Choi’s loved ones.
The body was found by a passerby after a search by authorities of Piscataway Park, Maryland, which is across the Potomac River from Mount Vernon.
Choi was last seen March 5 at her home in Kingstowne and reported missing a day after, according to police. Since then, authorities have been trying to locate Merino, who was seen in Atlanta, Georgia, at one point.
The Fairfax County Police Department has obtained warrants for Merino with charges of second-degree murder and felony disposal of human remains.
Merino was supposed to be on a flight from Reagan National Airport on March 8 to California. Police waited at the airport, but the seat went unoccupied.
Police said they found evidence in a car in D.C. that suggested Choi was harmed. Search dogs helped canvass the park, and authorities searched more than 800 acres of the park on March 11 and 14.
People with information about Choi’s disappearance or knowledge of Merino’s whereabouts can contact detectives at 703-246-7800, option 2. Anonymous tips can be sent to 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477), by text, or on the web.
“He could be anywhere,” O’Carroll said. “He could have left the country. All options are on the table.”
Police may have found the body of Hannah Choi, a missing Kingstowne woman who Fairfax County police believe was murdered.
Charles County Sheriff’s Office in Maryland notified the Fairfax County Police Department yesterday (Thursday) morning that a body was found in Piscataway Park, where the department previously had searched more than 800 acres looking for Choi’s remains.
Officers from the search and rescue team were going to return to the park today prior to the discovery, police said in an update to the media.
“Tentatively, detectives believe the body found is Hannah Choi,” the update said. “Detectives will continually work with the Medical Examiner to confirm the identity and manner of death.”
The department told FFXnow they may not have the information for a positive identification to update the public on until next week.
Police issued an arrest warrant charging her former boyfriend Joel Mosso Merino, 27, who is still at large. Anyone with information of his whereabouts is asked to call 703-246-7800, option 2.
Choi’s family has started a GoFundMe to raise money to catch Merino. The GoFundMe had raised more than $49,000 as of 3:40 p.m. today (Friday).
“Unfortunately, not only was her life taken from us through a senseless act of alleged domestic violence, but her remains also have yet to be recovered, denying my family the ability to send her off to be at peace. Moreover, Joel Mosso Merino, her suspected killer, is still on the run,” the GoFundMe page reads.
(updated at 6 p.m.) Fairfax County police are searching for a Kingstowne man charged with murder after his former girlfriend went missing.
Hannah Choi, 35, was last seen in the 5300 block of Jesmond Street in Kingstowne, where she and her ex-boyfriend Joel Merino lived together, police said.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said this afternoon (Tuesday) the department believes Merino, 27, killed Choi in the house on March 5 and disposed of her body in a park in Prince George’s County, Maryland, based on evidence they uncovered at the home and in a vehicle.
“With an abundance of probable cause and an abundance of evidence, we worked with the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and we secured these arrest warrants and now the search for Joel Merino is underway,” he said.
Obtaining the warrants before Choi’s body is recovered is something that maybe happens once in a decade, Davis said. The warrants charge Merino with second-degree murder and felony disposal of human remains.
Major Crimes, Cyber and Forensics Bureau Chief Maj. Ed O’ Carroll said Choi’s friends called the police March 6 to report her missing after she missed appointments and was not answering the door. “It was very unlike her and she could not be reached,” he said.
Police said the house was in order except for missing bedding. They then found the vehicle in D.C. that they believe Merino used, and discovered evidence indicating Choi was seriously injured before her disappearance, he said. The department is not releasing the specifics on the evidence.
“We know something bad happened, really bad,” O’Carroll said. “We have evidence and details that make us believe, firmly believe, without any doubt, that she is deceased.”
He said the two may have had an argument on Saturday, March 5. Police knew they were in the community together that evening.
Merino spent time the night after she was killed and into the morning in Piscataway Park, Davis said. Police and assisting agencies and teams have been searching the park looking for Choi, he said.
O’ Carroll described Choi as “a bright, caring, amazing young woman with the world at her reach.”
“This is tragic,” he said. “We are committed to finding Hannah and finding her killer. She is a victim of murder. For justice and closure we do need your help.”
Missing Endangered: 35yo Hannah Choi was last seen yesterday 7am in the 5300 blk of Jesmond St, Alexandria. She is 5’4, 125, blk eyes, bro hair. She has a tattoo of Chinese symbol on ankle. Unknown clothing. Endangered due to mental &/or physical health concerns. Call 911 w/info. pic.twitter.com/fDkpk1ekLx
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) March 7, 2022
O’ Carroll asked anyone who has information about her disappearance, knowledge of Merino’s whereabouts, or anything that could help with the investigation to contact the Fairfax County Police Department at 703-246-7800 Option 2, or to submit a tip anonymously through Crime Solvers call 1-866-411-TIPS.
Police believe Merino uses other aliases, and O’Connell said they did have information that he had fled at one point to the Atlanta area of Georgia in the last week. If anyone sees Merino, they should call 911.
Police said this is the sixth homicide of the year in Fairfax County, in comparison with three homicides at this point in 2021.
