Runner Finds Fatally Stabbed Woman Near Great Falls Trails, Police Say

Updated: 11:20 a.m.

GREAT FALLS, VA — Fairfax County police are conducting a homicide investigation after a runner found a woman who had been fatally stabbed near walking and hiking trails Monday morning.

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The Fairfax County Police Department identified the incident as a stabbing in the headline accompanying a Facebook video of a police briefing. During the briefing, Capt. Jason Chandler said the woman had suffered trauma to her upper body.

Officers were dispatched around 7 a.m. to the 8800 block of Georgetown Pike after a community member arriving for a morning run noticed an unconscious woman outside her vehicle, Chandler said.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have described her only as an adult and have not released her identity.

The woman was found in a parking area providing access to several trails in the Great Falls area. A vehicle registered to her was near where she was found, according to police.

Investigators had not determined why the woman was at the park, whether she arrived alone or how long she had been there. Police also had not said whether witnesses saw what happened.

There was no immediate indication that the attack was random, Chandler said. Detectives were following leads and canvassing the surrounding area for surveillance video, including footage from residents who do not participate in the department's Connect Fairfax camera program.

Police asked anyone who saw something near the park around 7 a.m. or who has other information about the case to call 1-866-411-TIPS. The department said updates would also be posted on its social media accounts.