17 years later, Prince William Co. police still looking for murderer

Oscar Maradiaga was 39 when he was killed near a homeless encampment in 2005, but police in Prince William County, Virginia, said they haven’t given up on finding his killer.

“Seventeen years have passed, and family and friends hope for closure,” police said in a news release last Sunday.



An autopsy found that Maradiaga died from drowning and blunt force trauma, police said. His body was found in a creek on May 29, 2005, near a homeless came in a wounded area along Rosemary Drive, near Sage Street in Manassas.

Oscar Maradiaga was 39 when he was killed. (Courtesy Prince William County Police)

Reportedly, Maradiaga was arguing with someone before walking from the camp to the creek.

In past years, police have posted online searching for more information about his murder. But it remains classified as a cold case.

Police are asking people with information to contact their Cold Case Unit at 703-792-7000, send an email to policedept@pwcgov.org or message them privately on Facebook or Twitter. Another option is to write to the unit at 5036 Davis Ford Road, Woodbridge, Virginia 22192.

Jessica Kronzer

Jessica Kronzer graduated from James Madison University in May 2021 after studying media and politics. She enjoys covering politics, advocacy and compelling human-interest stories.

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