UPDATED March 15, 10:40 a.m.
The Morgan County Sheriff’s Department has confirmed that their investigation into the death of a Virginia man on Tuesday, March 13 leads them to believe the man died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. His body was discovered Tuesday evening in a vehicle in Great Cacapon. The man was identified by police Wednesday morning as Christian J. Griffin, 58, of Winchester, Va. Police said Griffin was found by a local resident around 7 p.m. on March 13. He was in a vehicle parked at the public access area under the bridge leading into Great Cacapon.
According to Sheriff K.C. Bohrer, the person who discovered Griffin’s body reporting seeing a vehicle parked under the bridge on Monday evening, and then again on Tuesday morning and evening as they returned from work. After seeing that the vehicle was parked in the same location on Tuesday evening, the person went to the access area to check the vehicle and found Griffin, then called police. Bohrer said Thursday morning that police believe Griffin was alive on Tuesday morning.
Griffin has been listed as a member of the Virgina State Bar working as an attorney in Winchester, Va.
Bohrer said police have not yet found a tie between Griffin and the Great Cacapon area. The investigation has been led by Sgt. Wade Shambaugh.
Police released a statement on Tuesday evening that there was no threat to the public and they didn’t believe there was a suspect at large connected to the death. The Sheriff has now confirmed the case is being treated as an apparent suicide, and that police recovered a note supporting that theory at Griffin’s home in the Winchester area.
