A hiker in Virginia found the body of a Bethesda man who was reported missing nearly four months ago, police said Wednesday.
John Patrick Donohoe, 36, was found dead Sunday near an entrance to the Appalachian Trail in Warren County, Virginia, Montgomery County police announced.
Donohoe was the son of Bob Donohoe, chairman and CEO of The Donohoe Cos., a Bethesda-based real estate development company.
Donohoe had been reported missing Dec. 13 and was last seen that day leaving a family member’s Bethesda residence in his car. The day before, he had been released from Suburban Hospital in Bethesda. In February, his family announced a financial reward for help in locating him.
Police found his car March 3 in Front Royal, Virginia, Investigator Brad Pugh of the Warren County Sheriff’s Office said.
Front Royal police contacted Montgomery County police that day because Donohoe's license plate appeared in a missing person database, police spokeswoman Officer Rebecca Innocenti said. Police in Virginia were made aware of the missing person investigation.
Over the course of the investigation, police looked into several other leads in an effort to locate Donohoe. A woman was charged with fraud for using Donohoe’s credit card number after he went missing, although the charges were later dropped and officials believe she did not have any connection to the disappearance. Police also previously investigated reports of Donohoe being in Mississippi.
On Sunday, Warren County police and rescue workers responded to a wooded area owned by the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute near the Appalachian Trail after a hiker found what appeared to be human remains, according to Warren County police.
Responders transported the remains to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Manassas, Virginia, which later identified the body as Donohoe.
Donohoe’s body was found about five miles from his car, Pugh said. The Warren County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the cause of death.
