D.C. police are still trying to identify the body of a man found in a reservoir on Saturday evening.
Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department said the body was discovered on Sept. 10 in the 2500 block of First Street, Northwest. Officers were called to the McMillan Reservoir around 7:30 p.m.
When they arrived, they found an unconscious, unidentified black male submerged underwater. The body had no signs of life or obvious cause of death
The body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for an autopsy. Police said he had likely been in the water for several days before he surfaced. District leaders are questioning how this could have happened at the reservoir that supplies Washington’s drinking water.
“We just passed the 9/11 anniversary,” Cheh said. “We want to make sure security is maintained over our water supply.”
A fence with barbed wire at the top lines the entire reservoir, which is near Children's Hospital and Howard University in northwest Washington. There are regular patrols and no trespassing signs.
Managers temporarily shut down the facility as a precaution and chlorinated the water. The head of the Washington Aqueduct stressed the water quality was not affected.
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“There's no evidence of any interference,” said Tom Jacobus, general manager of the Washington Aqueduct. “Fences and gate are secure. “The water is safe to drink.”
Teri Janine Quinn, a neighborhood elected leader in nearby Bloomingdale, still has questions about security at the facility.
“Anytime someone gets on a grounds that should be closed off, who else was there?” she said. “(I’m) eager to find out what happened.”
The man’s identity has not been released.
