The family of 44-year-old Joshua Cochran knew there was something wrong when he went missing over the weekend from his residence in Alexandria, Virginia.
On Tuesday, police found his remains in the closet of his 63-year-old neighbor’s home. Cochran suffered from blunt force trauma to the head, Alexandria police said.
‘When they opened that door, the suspect gave an immediate confession.’
The family told WUSA-TV that he was not answering his phone, but they didn’t imagine he had died.
“When we stopped hearing from him, we knew pretty quickly something was up,” said Michelle Cochran, the victim’s sister-in-law, to WUSA.
“It was certainly the farthest thing from our mind that that would happen,” she added.
Investigators said surveillance video showed that Cochran had gone out drinking on Saturday with John Stremple III, who is a registered sex offender.
Cochran’s family said they didn’t know Stremple, but it was just like Cochran to befriend strangers.
“In chatting with a couple of friends, I said, ‘Wouldn’t it be so on-brand for Josh to, like, have befriended the old guy in the complex?’ Like, that was just him,” Michelle said.
Police said they knocked on Stremple’s door and were surprised when he opened the door and responded with a confession.
“It is an unexpected statement,” police said. “When our detectives knocked on the door, they were just following up on the leads that had been established. And when they opened that door, the suspect gave an immediate confession.”
He was charged with second-degree murder.
Michelle Cochran said her brother-in-law had moved to Alexandria to be closer to his 8-year-old son.
Fox News released a statement about the death of its employee.
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“We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of our colleague Joshua Cochran,” the statement reads, according to WUSA. “He was a dedicated member of our FOX News Media team who will be dearly missed. Our heartfelt condolences and prayers go out to his family.”
Michelle Cochran said police took the family’s concerns seriously from the time her brother-in-law went missing.
Stremple was convicted in 2014 of sodomy against a minor.
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Missing person, Surveillance video, Tragic death, Registered sex offenders, Virginia, Crime
