The discovery near Old Plains Road shut lanes as detectives documented the scene.
FAIR OAKS, Va. — Fairfax County police launched a death investigation Tuesday morning after an adult man was found lying in the grassy median of Fairfax County Parkway near Old Plains Road, just northwest of Inova Fair Oaks Hospital. A passerby called 911 around 9:45 a.m., and responding officers pronounced the man dead at the scene.
Authorities said they are working to determine how the man ended up in the median and whether a vehicle was involved. The case drew detectives from the department’s Crash Reconstruction Unit and major crimes personnel, as traffic units shut several lanes and detoured drivers around the scene. As of late Tuesday, investigators had not publicly identified the man, who they said appeared to be about 50 years old. Police said next of kin notifications were pending and asked anyone who was in the area around the time of the discovery to contact them.
Fairfax County Parkway was partially closed between Rugby Road and Old Plains Road for several hours while detectives placed evidence markers in the roadway and median and documented tire impressions and debris patterns. The closure began shortly after the 9:45 a.m. call and extended through the afternoon as officers canvassed for surveillance cameras along nearby businesses and neighborhoods. Capt. Jesse Katzman said at an on-scene briefing that investigators were “keeping an open mind,” noting that early observations could not immediately confirm whether the death involved a hit-and-run or a medical emergency. “We’re working with the medical examiner to establish cause and manner,” Katzman said.
Investigators focused on a section of the parkway’s center grass strip near a water retention area close to the hospital entrance, placing numbered markers across several travel lanes. Evidence technicians photographed the scene, and officers walked shoulder to shoulder scanning the median. Police would not release details about injuries observed on the body. The man carried no identification that could be immediately verified, and detectives said they were checking missing persons reports and hospital records for potential matches. The department said there were no signs of an ongoing threat to the public and that the case appeared isolated to the roadway section where the body was found.
The Fairfax County Parkway is a major north–south commuter route through western Fairfax County, carrying heavy morning traffic between Springfield, Fair Oaks and Reston. Serious crashes and pedestrian strikes have periodically closed stretches of the corridor, which has limited crosswalks and long gaps between intersections outside neighborhoods. Tuesday’s discovery triggered backups near Fair Oaks, where recent construction has altered traffic flows and sight lines. In past cases, crash reconstruction teams have used roadway scrapes, vehicle fragments and injury patterns to piece together the sequence of events and determine whether criminal charges are warranted. Officials said the same process would guide this inquiry once the medical examiner reports preliminary findings.
Detectives said they were collecting any dashcam footage from drivers who traveled the parkway between 8:30 and 10 a.m. and were checking nearby traffic cameras for usable views. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will perform an autopsy to determine cause and manner of death and to assist with identification through fingerprints or other records. If a vehicle is found to be involved, investigators will evaluate hit-and-run statutes and any potential negligence. Police said they would release the man’s name once his family is notified. Traffic operations expected to fully reopen the impacted lanes after scene documentation wrapped up on Tuesday evening.
Throughout the afternoon, some drivers pulled onto the shoulder to ask officers about detours while a helicopter circled above. A hospital worker on a lunch break said ambulances frequently use the corridor and called the closure “unusual for midday.” Another commuter described seeing cruisers blocking left lanes and cones guiding traffic past the median. “It looked like they were marking something every few feet,” the driver said.
As of Tuesday night, police had not announced an identification or cause of death. The next public update is expected after the medical examiner’s initial review and once notifications are complete.
Author note: Last updated December 25, 2025.