County police investigate possible connection between two deaths Friday in Rockville

First body found in a stopped car; second discovered in nearby hotel parking lot

January 17, 2025 3:23 p.m.

Montgomery County detectives are investigating whether there is a connection between the deaths of two people whose bodies were found Friday morning less than half a mile from each other in Rockville and whether the deaths could be homicides, police Public Information Officer Carlos Cortes said Friday afternoon.

“We haven’t ruled that out, but we still haven’t made a determination as far as that,” Cortes told Bethesda Today.

The first death investigation began early Friday shortly after 3 a.m. when a county police officer found a body in a vehicle stopped at the intersection of Shady Grove Road and Research Boulevard, police said in a statement Friday morning.

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The location is near the Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center at 9901 Medical Center Drive.

An officer on routine patrol came across the stopped vehicle around 3:15 a.m. and found the body inside, Cortes said.

According to police radio transmissions, an officer noticed a white BMW with “bullet holes in the side of it” and “a subject inside, possibly DOA.” DOA stands for “dead on arrival.”

Friday’s police statement did not identify the person or include other details such as age or gender. Cortes said detectives are “in the process” of identifying the person.

To investigate the incident, officers closed Shady Grove Road in both directions at Key West Avenue and Corporate and Research boulevards, police said in a social media post. Traffic lanes that were closed while officers investigated had reopened as of about 9 a.m. on Friday, police posted on social media.

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The second body was discovered around 7:40 a.m. when Rockville City police officers responded to the Sleep Inn Hotel at 2 Research Court for the report of a “deceased person,” Cortes said. When the officers arrived, they located a body lying in the parking lot of the hotel.

According to police radio transmissions, the person was laying face down and shell casings were found at the location.

At 8:20 a.m., police said on social media that county police and Rockville City police were “conducting an investigation in the area of Research Court.”

Cortes said that once Rockville police found the second body, officers contacted the county police department to continue the investigation into the discovery. Police did not identify the second person or details about their age or gender.

As of Friday afternoon, county police were still investigating at the scene, Cortes said. He noted detectives are looking to see if there is any surveillance footage in the area that “captured the crimes.”

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“So right now, both of these cases are considered death investigations. Detectives are trying to determine if there’s a criminal element that will make them into homicide investigations,” Cortes said.

County police ask anybody who has information about the incidents to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County website or to call 1-866-411-8477. Tips leading to an arrest may be eligible for a reward up to $10,000 and can remain anonymous.

According to police, more information will be released, including the person’s identity, after the proper notification of the next of kin.

Both bodies were to be transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death, according to Cortes.

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