Marc Washington
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Cynthia McCabe
D.C. Crime Stories
December 10, 2013
The D.C. police officer who was charged with taking nude photos of a runaway teen girl was pulled from the chilly waters off Hains Point and has died, the department confirmed early Wednesday.
U.S. Park Police received a 911 call at about 8:15 p.m. from a male caller that man was in the water at Hains Point, between the East Potomac River and the Washington Channel.
Police found a some clothing and parked car that was connected to Marc Washington, the patrol officer who was released from jail Monday on child pornography charges.
Dozens of police officers, a helicopter and several high-ranking officials rushed to the scene. Metropolitan Police Department rescue boat crews rescued from the roughly 48-degree waters an adult male who was taken to a hospital for treatment.
During a press conference late Tuesday, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier would not confirm that the body was that of Washington and said investigators she did not yet know the origin of the 911 call.
“There’s a lot of speculation,” Lanier said. “Whether this was a call from someone associated with the Metropolitan Police Department, we don’t know.”
In a release early Wednesday, police confirmed the identity of the person as Washington, and said he had died at the hospital shortly after his arrival.
Park Police and D.C. police are investigating.
Washington was arrested last week after police said he took nude pictures of a runaway 15-year-old girl after she returned to her home. Police found numerous pictures of young women, including deleted photos of what appeared to two nude minors. He was charged with production of child pornography.