Body found In Va. identified as Jefferson resident
Body found In Va. identified as Jefferson resident
By Pam Rigaux
Thursday - 6/9/2011, 10:56am ET
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=120&sid=2415625
The man whose body was found on Monday afternoon in his 2001 Ford Expedition in Winchester, Va., was Jefferson resident Paul Raymond Thomas, the Frederick County Sheriff's Office in Virginia said.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Northern Virginia confirmed the identity Wednesday of the 48-year-old Thomas, the sheriff's office said in a news release. The cause of death is still being determined.
Thomas lived in the 4000 block of Cherry Lane in Jefferson and had formerly lived in Manassas, Va., the sheriff's office said.
He was wanted by Stafford County, Va., authorities for failure to appear on driving under the influence and felony hit-and-run charges, the agency said.
The charges were filed March 4, the same day his girlfriend reported him missing from home in Jefferson.
After she reported Thomas missing, he returned home, spent the night and left the next day to visit family in Manassas, the sheriff's office said.
Authorities were not informed of his brief return.
Detectives are developing a timeline to help them understand what happened.
His body was decomposing when a sheriff's deputy found it in the back seat of Thomas' vehicle in a parking lot at 200 Rivendell Court, said Maj. Robert Eckman of the sheriff's office.
Someone who had parked near the Expedition noticed a foul odor, thought it was coming from a trash bin and reported it to the sheriff's office about 12:30 p.m.
A license check on the expired registration of the SUV traced ownership to Thomas and his former wife. An autopsy and medical records from Manassas aided in the identification, the agency said.
Authorities are awaiting toxicology and blood results.
The final medical report could take up to 16 weeks