After determining the police’s investigation was lackluster, the family started a GoFundMe to raise funds for a private investigator to find their loved one.
The body of Darius Appiah, a 22-year-old from Virginia who was reported missing back in January, was found by Hazel Run creek in Fredericksburg on Feb. 3. The search for Appiah gained national traction as his family rallied for public support amid searched for him.
According to WUSA9, Appiah’s body was positively identified by the Fredericksburg police department upon its discovery in the creek within Alum Springs Park. The family and volunteers were conducting an additional search in the area when a body was identified an hour into the process. Police immediately arrived to the body’s location, recovering what was later revealed to be Appiah from the scene.
Appiah was first reported missing on Jan. 25, after he went to get food on his way home from work a day prior. His family called for public attention toward the matter after determining the police’s investigation was lackluster in finding him, starting a GoFundMe to raise funds for a private investigator to find their loved one. The GoFundMe raised nearly half of its $50,000 goal.