so... this article is confusingly written. are you saying there is no evidence of foul play?

What about stepping up patrols at the WT Woodson Junior Parking lot where he was last seen.

and how do they know there is "no predator on the loose"? Does the autopsy reveal that a wound was self inflicted? or is it all inconclusive? The poor family who has to suffer through the not knowing!...can;t they put a rush on the tests. I thin of all the youth who have been attacked on our county trails over the past few months and really wonder!

If the entire city of Fairfax is a low crime area that why were they not doing anything to facilitate this case or finding Bryan? If Bryan's parents had not asked citizens for help he would very likely still be in the woods right now.

I was one of the searchers that day and we were warned that several homeless people camp out there and there are a network of tunnels under the woods. So while there may not be a predator I am not sure I would go back on that trail by myself.

Sarah and Shannon, your fear mongering is infantile and you have both clearly been watching too much CSI. There is no "rushing". The cororner is full of people who met their untimely deaths. What makes the poor soul from somewhere else less important this this person. Things will get done in time, and I'm sure the family has been given far more information than the public. There is no reason forthe public to know the "gory details". As for "trails" and woods, do you know where he went missing, or are you just lumping the fact that he was found in a park to make disparaiging remarks about parks? How do you even know there was foul play, especially when the police are intoning there was not? Seirously people, TV is not reality. Just because you've been watching Law and Order for 20 years, doesn't mean your a detective.

You sound like someone trying to cover up bad police work with wagging the dog and name calling. My back ground is in search and fire dept perhaps you use the TV to fain knowledge I prefer experience. BTW most people outgrow name calling in grammar school perhaps it's time?

wow, sure did not feel I was fear mongering and have not been infantile in some time, let's try not to attack each other personally on here, shall we! I have lived in this county all my life and care deeply for our tight knit community!

I'm not covering up for anything, nor do I have any connection to the police. But this push to divulge details is silly. Why do you need to know these things? Why come on here and make generalizations about the police process and parks? Are either of you police detectives? This Monday morning quarterbacking and feeding into animosity towards the police regarding this case does nothing to help the case or the family. Do they need to be hearing amatures like you second guessing what the police are telling them? The answer is no, they don't. As for name calling, I called your comments infantile, not you. I agree, this is a sad case, and we should all hope we get some answers eventually so we know our community is safe. But the level of conjecture surrounding this case is not helpful. THAT was my point.

I've never heard of a network of tunnels I know of only the closed bike tunnel and the one small trail that must have been poorly searched if at all during the 6 days pior on a less then 2 mile stretch between barkley to rt 50 this is a tiny patch of not very dense forest.. standing upright near a tree? How could a blood hound miss that!. And able to be seen from the only footpath .. must have been a very poor initial investigation and how would a potential suicide victim not collapse to the ground seems like the body was found in an unusual position for a suicide case from what I heard on 9news

If by gore you mean an explanation about the polices behavior not Bryan's condition, untimely death or the suffering of his family than YES...I want gory details of what an actual police office that is well trained does in this situation I personally have been asking for along with MANY others. The attempts to misdirect only works on 5 y,o. WHY DID THE POLICE NOT FIND BRYAN? I HAVE DONE SEARCH AND HE WAS ONLY 3/4 a mile into the woods and not far off a PAVED PATH so not hard to find! Keep calling us names that is fine and I will continue to make the same point that YOU clearly do not want heard but everyone knows which btw makes it more obvious. Police work was badly done and CHANGE not excuses, name calling, misdirection and attempt to defame others will create that change that but you might change tact...this one is transparent and boring.

On second thought I think I will take this issue up the food chain as many others agree with me and allow you to continue with your silly rant.

have any of you even thought about the possibility of suicide or that maybe he took something that had an adverse affect that killed him and maybe the family doesn't want it put out there publicly...yet! So, the police are trying to reassure the community that they are in no harm. Read between the lines. They are trying to tell you something without invading people's right to privacy. Making accusations about possible homeless people is outright insane. Just because someone is homeless doesn't mean they are bad people or would harm someone. You are just grasping at straws and stereotyping. God forbid any of you ever become homeless in your lifetime. I think you would think twice before passing judgement.

If any moderators are reading this. Why doesn't the Patch move to a "Facebook" based comment section. I think it would greatly reduce the vitriol that is on your site. People are less likely to post nastiness, if they know it is going to appear on their Facebook site...

OK so just because Fairfax hasnt had a murder in 3 years, this child commited suicide?? Come on.

There is no way he committed suicide. Look at the evidence before and leading up to the discovery. The fact that the police department was unable to find him when he was visible from a walking path and others who used the path through out the week and then a week later he was found? I think he was placed there. And since the medical examiner is taking a while and not declaring a suicide right away, which they usually do if it is clearly a suicide, might suggest something a bit more complex. The police are trying to cover themselves for doing a poor job during the investigation by saying there is no reason to be worried. They are trying to avoid a public out cry. We have had murders in fairfax county recently? There are dangers every where and he was in the county not city. I really hope they find out what happened to this young boy. I feel for his family and I hope he is at peace.

A dead body standing up if even assisted by a tree is likely post rigor mortis in my oppinion a reaction to substance should cause the body to collapse

@ Tink & Jessica...no, I was not saying it was a definite suicide. That was an option to the police saying there is no one on the "loose." If it was "clearly" murder it would be apparent. Gun shot, stabbing, beating. All of those things are easy to pinpoint and would have been reported immediately to the public. So, there is something about this case that is out of sorts. Toxicology reports are being done i'm sure because there is no visible evidence of how he died. Teenagers, today, experiment with all kinds of stuff. Its very possible this was an accidental death. Hence why I said maybe it was possible he took something that had an adverse affect that killed him,. Only time will tell. Passing judgement on people and who did or did not do their job doesn't solve the case and if you watched most news reports they said the area he was found in had a lot of greenery, overgrown shrubs, etc. and that people bike and run, etc. on the trail all day everyday and no one saw him for that reason including those searching.

Perhaps I would be a bit more qualified to bushwack a tiny plot of unraked new growth forest in early fall professionally having qualified in many outdoor livingskills for 9 years and testing other campers in for one. If a human body had been standing near a tree even half a mile near the foot trail for 6 days clothed or not( I would not assume that in sight of the trail would be half a mile from the trail), while searching with trained dogs. I don't see why police officers would not find the body in 6 days. Also I believe its likely the body was stood up after possible convulsions or slacked muscles the weight goes down with gravity as the body goes through its stages of breaking down unless of course inhibitted by other forces involved and or relocated by other people involved

There are some strange aspects to this case. One is the two bottles of water, both opened, in Bryan's car. Another is the fact that the search dogs didn't find him. And how can it be that after a week there was no odor? People ride bikes and walk on that path all the time. My sister and I did see evidence of people hanging out in the woods -- empty beer bottles, food wrappers, etc. We also saw a couple of sketchy types that I would not feel comfortable meeting up with alone in the park. Did Bryan give someone a ride from Dunkin Donuts to the park? Did he buy that person some bottled water? How did the police process Bryan's car when it was found? What about the evidence contained therein, i.e. donut box, candy wrappers, etc. Did Bryan take any drugs or was he coerced into doing something he didn't want to do? Was it made to look like a suicide? I think that's what's really troubling people -- nothing is adding up. It's not from watching CSI or detective shows on TV -- it's a gut feeling that says, "something ain't right with this picture."

The behavior here is unbelievable.

Please explain if the area is so safe then why did they just have this article?

http://fairfaxcity.patch.com/articles/attacks-prompt-trail-safety-reminders-from-police

Paul, it's even worse at the fairfaxunderground forum. There are no mods there at all it seems. I don't know if I'm dealing with people who are drunk or just nuts over there.

You do realize it is a different area, right?

@ Jamie & T-Bird - I completely agree: suicide is a possibility; to say otherwise would be irresponsible. Yes, I know of this firsthand. My husband had a 'suspicious' death which was initiatlly thought as either murder or accidental. After a LONG (as there are not "priority") investigation, it was ruled suicide. If this is indeed the case, I feel for the family (whom I pray are not reading about this on Patch) as it is indeed NO ONE's business but their own. Have a great weekend, all!

Sara C, Thank you for your last comment. My heart goes to you too! suicide is a possibility but what you said: feeling for the family is important and that in fact it is really their business. NO ONE can fully understand the pain a parent feels for the death of their own child...unless one has walked that horrible crucible.

A death in the park is EVERYONE in the COMMUNITY's business. Sorry for your loss Sara, I lost my Uncle to suicide and almost a younger cousin, whom i'm very happy today is doing quite well for a person of such age, these things happen and if people paid more attention to others and their safety we may save more lives regardless of how they may be endangered or by whom. I don't intend to be antagonistic but I do support non conservative oppinions on the confidentiality of public information and how liberal additional not necessarily biased but factual information can help the community determine and revisit concerns for their personal safety and that of others. I also feel that some information not necessarily suggestive of any suspects with regards to the crime scene may have been and still be useful in appeasing the curiosity of concerned and interested parties. You don't have to be the immediate family to care about this incident. My mother and myself were able to save my father because we heard what i thought was a stroke as he was slipping away fast into a hypoglycemic coma in his sleep.. If he was alone he would no longer with me. If i was the only other person in the house and i woke up and let it be he could have died in less then 12 minutes. This year i reported to the police a person barely responsive on their doorstep while walking back to my room from a job. What if i chose not to get involved. What would have happened to this man with his front door wide open.

I'm just disconcerted as to why the police search didn't find Bryan earlier than a family search, in such a small area located right next to his parked car?

One thing america can do would be cutting whatever government funding may goto forensic shows and pbs. If people don't go to college for this stuff on their own dime what good are they. And as for common sense you can't pay for that either. You either have it or you don't. My brain can't comprehend what some of you have written on here! The audacity. How dare such bold stumps not keep there ranting mild. I don't even know the limits of my sensitivity and I don't wanna.

@paul - lol whut?

@Dean - body wasnt "right nest to the car", it was in the woods. Cops earlier had searched both ends of the woods but not the central part - they called in a pro-team of volunteers to head a body search for the kid that Sat. cause they couldnt find him. And no, it was not a just a "family search" - and stop thinking that it was ONLY the cops looking for him in that park all last week - others were doing it too and they ALSO missed the boy.

I don't know where the nest was and although big bird may not be a suspect i do remember where the camera crew attempted to enter the path from the parking lot watching the report on 9news. I can't recall if fox was there. I personally have run this mountainous densely forested less then two mile path and its astounding to me that its even smaller then eakin park. Now of course I would expect this park to be more difficult to search then say the Castro in San Francisco, perhaps Van Courtland park or Pelham Bay park in the Bronx, but even so in my unprofessional opinion I feel the police conducted a poor search perhaps someone at hq decided not to invest enough money into this one. Of course being that this isn't south east DC and the budget's a little bigger then Orange county Virginia... the helicopters were a good call. I remember from running this path in my youth i wasn't in view of a road from the foot path or a house at all times. This place sure has changed since i was in school.

It's not like Fairfax is some backwoods town with no police funding. I mean, they used a helicopter at least twice I think! That's not cheap to do. It's all very unsettling. I hope and pray the medical examiner can accurately diagnose what happened to this young man. It shouldn't have happened this way -- suicide or not, he should have been found much sooner -- unless his body wasn't in the woods the entire time

Me too, Paul. Losing a 17 year old from the community is sad enough -- not knowing how to find them makes the pain even worse.

There is really so much that doesn't add up in this case. I do hope that an explanation of exactly what happened is forthcoming. I am so sorry for the family, I hope you find peace.

I have always been under the impression that results of autopsies paid for by public/tax monies are public information. Those paid for by private persons are private.

Hi everyone. My brother killed himself in June and it is so crazy the first month after it happens, confusion, horror, agony especially for the parents. Because they did not say it is a murder, it is a suicide. With a suicide, there are tons of questions like everyone is asking and nothing ever makes sense. The family is probably in so much emotional pain they can only deal with their inward stuff, not the public yet. Also, concussions can cause someone to commit suicide and he was on the football team. So many questions and usually no answers, best thing to do is to make sure you pay attention to the friends and family in your inner circle, particularly male, and if they are going through stress keep at them to talk to you or to talk to someone they trust, they key is to realize they are not alone in their feelings. Hope this wasn't too much for everyone.

Read between the lines people... "no predator on the loose" is just another way of saying he wasn't murdered. The only option that comes to my mind when they say he was found in "an upright position" is that he maybe hung himself. How else could people have mistaken him for an searchteam member and walked by him several times as stated in one article i read.

That's the point, none of us really know how Bryan was found and that's why it's difficult to understand. Remember the same police who are saying there's "no predator on the loose" are the same ones who could not locate his body.

Paula, if you have a gripe, schedule an appointment with the police chief, the ombudsman or a locally elected official. It's obvious that a number of folks here don't want to hear your unsubstantiated, disrepectful nonsense.

Paul, the fact is, I am entitled to express myself exactly the same as you. No one is forced to read my thoughts, especially and in particular you.

Of course, he could have died of natural causes, which would also explain why there's no threat to the public at this time. As a reminder, the human mortality rate is 100%.

The ignorance and arrogance of some people on here is shocking. paul (little "p") and Paula, I speak of you. Nobody was asking either of you to abridge your freedom of expression, but to act like an adult and have a little compassion for the family. Obviously, this was beyond your comprehension or maturity level. Whitney, if you are reading this I see no reason to keep this comment section open. It should be closed and this DOJ/PAR person need to be banned.

T-bird you are about the worst commenter on here which I'm sure you are aware of. You use some pretty big words in all your sassy comments you have specifically dirrected at other people. Caps or not.