Search continues for Porsche driver who dumped body of Massachusetts man in DC alley
WASHINGTON - Five days after a Massachusetts man’s body was dumped in a D.C. alley, police are still looking for the Porsche and whoever was driving it the night they left the victim dead in a Northwest D.C. alleyway.
The family of 41-year-old Alan Chen tells FOX 5 the Porsche he was pulled from is his own vehicle.
FOX 5 first broke this story last week.
D.C. police still have not released any surveillance videos in this investigation.
Chen’s family shared a photo of Chen and his white Porsche with Massachusetts tags, hoping for answers.
They tell FOX 5 that the 41-year-old worked in advertising and sales and that he would often spend longer periods of time in D.C. when he had to come to D.C. for work.
Police tell FOX 5 his death could be of natural causes. There were no immediate signs of foul play. However, Chen’s aunt tells FOX 5 they disagree. The family believes there was a robbery and tells FOX 5 they just want his killer arrested.
FOX 5 is learning a neighbor somehow encountered an unconscious Chen lying in the alleyway. Another neighbor was able to review home surveillance video and discover Chen had been pulled out of his Porsche just before 11:20 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 29. .
The unknown driver apparently entered the alleyway on the 100 block of W Street from V Street, exiting on W toward 2nd Street NW.
D.C. Fire and EMS tells FOX 5 they responded just before 1 a.m. the next morning. A source tells FOX 5 they saw first responders working on Chen for a significant amount of time, trying to resuscitate him.
A concerned neighbor says police also investigated a death just steps of the alleyway several years ago. That death was a 2016 murder.
"We’re talking a block. Not even a block. We’re talking, half a street signal," said a neighbor who identified himself as Manuel only. "Unfortunately, what’s happened here before, in this alleyway, it seems to be a thoroughfare and a number – I’ve seen a number of times where I come up at night at somebody is in the car and the windows are all foggy – something’s going on. So you have to call the police to get them to move or see what’s going on. And it would be great to have more secure lights in the back and such."
"It’s very concerning that something like this would happen in this neighborhood where you’re trying to establish relationships with friends and then something like this happens where somebody is taken away," Manuel added.
A police report says officers only recovered two pairs of shoes, lip balm and blue jeans from the 41-year-old’s body. Chen’s aunt told FOX 5 he was not found with a wallet or his license.
The D.C. Medical Examiner is still conducting the autopsy. Once completed, police will then know whether there was anything possibly going on internally, such as a medical emergency or a possible drug overdose.
Neighbors have voiced frustration that if it was a possible medical emergency or drug overdose, Chen should have been taken to a hospital. Howard University Hospital sits just two blocks away from the scene.
"Being very alert," is how Manuel described neighbors trying to address the situation, "alert, talking to other talking to the neighbors, you know, seeing people around here and just being aware of what's going on as much as possible. Everybody lives really busy lives, but I think just one way to combat it is just to say hello and make sure you know who other people are around here."
FOX 5 is told neighbors being vigilant and participating in the city’s security camera rebate program is the reason why police at least have surveillance video in this investigation.
Anyone with information on the Porsche or the unknown driver involved is asked to contact police immediately.