The president of the Young Democrats of Maryland, Joseph Kitchen, was found dead Sunday afternoon after being reported missing for several days, according to Twitter posts from party accounts and his brother.
Kitchen’s brother tweeted Sunday night that the family was told just before 2:30 p.m. that his body was found at his home in Washington, D.C. On social media, the Maryland Democratic Party and the Young Democrats confirmed the death. The party Tweeted that Kitchen had a “kind heart that has impacted so many.”
Kitchen, 34, was last seen Aug. 8 at Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis, according to the Prince George’s County Police Department.
The police department said that the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department is handling the death investigation. Metropolitan police officials said they were called to the scene at about 4 p.m. Sunday to assist an agency that had been conducting a welfare check. The building manager let officials into Kitchen’s residence, according to a police report, and they discovered him “unconscious and not breathing.”
The D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Monday afternoon that the investigation into Kitchen’s cause of death is “still pending.”
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Family members thanked those who helped search for Kitchen over the past eight days and asked for privacy “as we wrap our heads around this news,” the tweet said.
Young Democrats of America said in a tweet they were “saddened” to hear about Kitchen’s death.
“Joseph always pushed YDA to live up to its values and was someone who was not satisfied with accepting the status quo,” the tweet said. “His passion will be deeply missed.”
Howard County Executive Calvin Ball called Kitchen a friend and said he was “deeply saddened.”
“He was a dedicated and compassionate democrat who advocated on behalf of our young people across Maryland,” Ball said in a tweet.
District 16 Delegate Marc Korman said Kitchen had a “passionate” and “infectious” love for the Democratic party. The Democrat said he would miss his energy and warm smile.
Baltimore Sun reporter Christine Condon contributed to this article.