Family of Fredericksburg man found in creek disappointed with police search efforts
Fredericksburg family frustrated with police search for son
Police in Fredericksburg are still looking into the death of Darius Appiah, but so far, they say there are no signs of foul play. The 22-year-old’s body was pulled out of a creek last weekend after his family found him. FOX 5's Nana-Sentuo Bonsu spoke to the Appiah family about the case.
Police in Fredericksburg are still looking into the death of Darius Appiah, but so far, they say there are no signs of foul play.
The 22-year-old’s body was pulled out of a creek last weekend after his family found him.
He was reported missing in January.
Darius' mother, Eunice Appiah, is frustrated with the response by law enforcement so far.
"Darius is my heart! It’s so hard for me to believe this has happened," Mrs. Appiah said.
On the evening of Wednesday, Jan. 24, Mrs. Appiah called the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office to report her son Darius missing.
"Friday, the police called us and said they had located Darius’s car in this park."
That’s when Virginia State Police put out a Missing Person Alert, and the search for Darius started.
The department said officers extensively searched Alum Spring Park for the next two days with K9s, special equipment, and a helicopter. But had to stop when there were no signs of Darius.
"They claim that they had thoroughly searched 400 acres, and had gone through the water 4 miles. And they were 100 percent certain that he wasn’t in the park," Mrs. Appiah said.
Darius's mother organized a search party on Sunday, Jan. 28 with dozens of community members, but they were unsuccessful as well.
"I was like ‘I hope we don’t have to come back next week.’ I was still trusting the police at this point," Ms. Appiah said.
Another week went by with no leads, so she put together another search party on Saturday, Feb. 3.
Just before 10 o'clock that morning – while Mrs. Appiah and her husband, Maxwell, were searching for their son in the park when they got a call from her brother.
"He told me that they found him, he was crying. They found him but he couldn’t make it," Mr. Appiah said.
Family desperately searching for missing 22-year-old Fredericksburg man
Dozens of people gathered at Alum Spring Park in Fredericksburg to search for Darius Appiah.
Darius’s body was recovered from a creek in the park.
"They didn’t do what they were supposed to do to look for my son," Mr. Maxwell said.
In a statement sent to FOX 5, the Fredericksburg Police Department said, "The search for Darius was our agency's largest, most extensive search for a missing person. In addition to requesting additional support from surrounding jurisdictions, we called out our Special Equipment Tactical Team (like SWAT) and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management's Search and Rescue Team to search the area. Virginia State Police sent a helicopter to explore the area and the Rappahannock River. The Fredericksburg Police UAS team flew their drones over multiple areas around the park. Multiple K9 Units from our agency and surrounding jurisdictions, including a Bloodhound specializing in picking up human scent, also assisted in the search."
"He might still be alive right now because we don’t know – maybe somebody did something to him, but he was waiting for help. But no one looked for him," Mrs. Appiah said.
"Darius is a light," she added. "He is an encourager. Positive person. Wants the best for everyone."
Mrs. Appiah added that Darius had just finished an IT design program at George Washington University that he paid for on his own. She says her son was serious about life, he loved his family, and adored his siblings.
Police say they anticipate having the final cause of death report from the medical examiner's office in 3 to 6 months.
In the meantime, they said detectives were at the park on Thursday looking for evidence, and they will continue to actively investigate this case.