PATAPSCO VALLEY STATE PARK, Md. — The rebuilding effort continues after flooding along the Patapsco River more than a year ago washed out the bridge near Thistle and River Roads in the Patapsco Valley State Park, near the area where a woman walking her dog on Monday evening made a gruesome discovery.
"The dog ran off into an area around Thistle Road, and when she went back and found the dog, she realized that the dog had located a body," said Cpl. Shawn Vinson of the Baltimore County Police Department.
Stephen Martin is one of the few private homeowners along River Road, and he knew something was amiss when police vehicles converged on the secluded road.
It was only later that he learned of the body that was found.
"It's a pretty tightknit group down here on River Road. There's only a few of us down here,” said Martin, "so I knew it wasn't anyone that I knew. At the same time though, when I heard about it, I wasn't too surprised. It's like, 'That's life on the river. Someone found a body.'"
Tragically, since he moved here four years ago, Martin has witnessed two historic floods that claimed a total of three victims between them, but there's something different about this case, especially after the body of another man turned up in the park in late April.
"It being a dead-end road both ways. For right now, yes, your mind is kind of like, 'Well, it could have been something else,’” said Martin, “At least, for us, it's pretty far down. So we're a little bit removed from it, but there's a lot of abandoned homes and abandoned things down there that are in the state park area that haven't been maintained in years, so naturally, you're going to have the people going in and doing whatever they want in these abandoned places because no one is keeping it in check, so...you were about that stuff too."
Police are still awaiting the results of an autopsy and have not yet learned the identity of the man found on Monday.
READ MORE: Baltimore County Police investigating body found in Patapsco State Park
Police ruled out foul play surrounding the death of 27-year-old Darius Singleton, whose body turned up in the park back in April.
