Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 9, 1991 TAG: 9103090435
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: FREDERICKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
"Most of those discovered so far have been turned up accidentally," said state police Lt. M.G. Milner. "We want to see what we can find if we look on purpose."
The first of the searches will begin today on Interstate 95 at the Prince William and Stafford county line.
Ten police officers and at least three dogs will comb the median and both shoulders in search of bodies or other crime-related objects.
Milner said this initial foot search will eventually continue south through Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania.
He said it's not yet clear when the search will resume after today or how long it will take.
"We don't have any set time frame for this," Milner said. "But we do want to finish before the foliage and ticks come out."
In recent months, Milner said, at least five bodies have been found on state roadways. One found last month in the I-95 median in Stafford has still not been identified, he said.
Milner said the recent discoveries and the area's proximity to Washington, D.C., spurred the idea for a thorough search.
"The interstate was opened in the early 1960s, and to my knowledge, it has never really been searched," Milner said. "It's fertile ground."
Depending on what comes from this experiment, similar searches may be conducted in other areas, Milner said.
He said the troopers will also be on the lookout for weapons and property that may be connected to crimes.
In the recent Stafford case, skeletal remains were found by relic hunters in the wooded median between the Aquia and Stafford exits.
It was later determined that the body was that of a woman between 30 to 45. She had been dead for as long as six years, authorities said. The cause of death is not known.
by CNB