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Dead Body Identified as 22 year-old Keyser Man

June 22nd, 2022 by WCBC Radio

On Sunday, June 19, 2022, at approximately 4:30 PM, the Allegany County Sheriff's Office received a call about a body located in the Potomac River in the vicinity of the water treatment facility in Westernport. Deputies with the Sheriff's Office responded to the area, along with officers from the Maryland Natural Resources Police.

 

            Upon arrival Deputies spoke with the caller and learned that the caller and family were kayaking the river when they observed a body. The father pulled to the bank and made the call to 911 at that time.

 

            Once it was confirmed that the victim was deceased, the Allegany County Combined Criminal Investigation Unit (C3I) was contacted, and C3I Investigators responded to assist in the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the unknown male victim.

 

            The DNR Police's water rescue team was able to pull the body to the shoreline, where it was examined by an Evidence Collection Technician with the Maryland State Police, a Forensic Investigator with the Maryland State Medical Examiner's Office, and investigators on the scene. It appeared that the body had been in the water for some period of time, but no obvious signs of trauma that would have caused death were observed at that time.

 

            The body was transported to the Maryland State Medical Examiner's Office in Baltimore for an autopsy to determine the cause of death, and to positively identify the victim. As a result, the victim has been identified as 22 year old Johnathon Bobby Dale Tichinel, of Keyser. The result of the autopsy is pending toxicology at this time.

 

            The Mineral County Sheriff's Office and the Westernport Volunteer Fire Department and ambulance also responded to the scene to provide assistance.

 

            Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Allegany County Sheriff's Office, at 301-777-1585, or the C3I Unit, at 301-777-0326.

 

            The investigation is continuing.