Va. family returns from trip, finds man’s body in yard

WASHINGTON – A man has been arrested and charged with leaving a dead body near a house for a Virginia family to find when they came home from a trip.

The Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that the residents of a house on Enchanted Woods Way came back from vacation and found a body in their yard Sunday morning, later identified as Deandre Miller-Caldwell, 23, of Spotsylvania.

After talking with neighbors, investigators learned that on Thursday night, Miller-Caldwell had been riding in a car driven by Jarred Smith, 23, of Locust Grove, when Miller-Caldwell, who had used heroin, lost consciousness. That forced Smith to lose control of the car and drive into a ditch, the sheriff’s office said.

When people stopped to help Smith, they saw Miller-Caldwell’s body in the ditch, but Smith hid the body just before law enforcement showed up at the scene of the crash, the sheriffs said.

Smith has been charged with concealing a dead body, and is being held in the regional jail without bond.

Melissa Howell

Melissa Howell joined WTOP Radio in March 2018 and is excited to cover stories that matter across D.C., as well as in Maryland and Virginia. 

Rick Massimo

Rick Massimo came to WTOP, and to Washington, in 2013 after having lived in Providence, R.I., since he was a child. He's the author of "A Walking Tour of the Georgetown Set" and "I Got a Song: A History of the Newport Folk Festival."

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up