Falls Church Resident, 20, Dies; College Housemate Charged

A Falls Church area resident, Grace Rebecca Mann, 20, was found unconscious by roommates and later died Friday at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg in a suspected homicide, according to Fredericksburg Police.

Fredericksburg police apprehended a suspect Friday after a citywide manhunt and alerts to the public.

The suspect, Steven Vander Briel, was taken into custody in the 500 block of Riverside Drive in the city, at approximately 5:30 p.m., according to police. He has been charged with first degree murder and abduction. He is being held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.

Mann was a junior at the University of Mary Washington, according to the university’s Office of Student Affairs. She was a history and American studies major with a minor in practical ethics and an executive board member of Feminist United, an active member of PRISM, an appointee to the President’s Task Force on Sexual

The police began searching for Briel after Mann was found unconscious at her home around 3 p.m. in the 1900 block of Washington Avenue in Fredericksburg. The young woman later died after being transported to the hospital, police said.

The police said that Briel fled the scene on foot before they arrived. They described him as between 29 and 30 years old, and last seen wearing a white shirt and jeans, “5 o’clock shadow” on his face.

James Monroe High School was placed on lockdown, and there was a heavy police presence in the area.