Crime & Safety

Fairfax Police Investigating 'Potential Criminality' in Death of McLean Teen

Cause and manner of death could take weeks to determine.

By Jason Spencer

The McLean High School student found dead Friday by Fairfax County police will be laid to rest Wednesday morning.

Emylee Lonczak turned 16 in May. She would have started her junior year at McLean High School next week.

Find out what's happening in Viennawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Lonczak was found dead Friday in Vienna, about four miles away from her home.

She had been reported as a runaway two days prior.

Find out what's happening in Viennawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at St. John the Beloved in McLean. She is survived by six siblings, including a twin, along with her parents, grandparents and other family members, according to her obituary.

McLean High School Principal Ellen Reilly told parents in a letter Monday that Lonczak died unexpectedly and that she was a "cherished student who will be greatly missed by all who knew her."

"She was a good person," said Andrew Koh, a rising junior at McLean who was in the same gourmet foods class as Lonczak last year. "I didn't have the pleasure of knowing her too well, but she sat down with me a few times and we talked. It's sad what happened."

Initial news reports indicated Fairfax County police were investigating Lonczak's death as a criminal matter.

Tuesday, police were less sure whether the case involved criminal activity.

"We are continuing to investigate any potential criminality in this case," police spokesman Eddy Azcarate told Patch.

The state medical examiner's office in Manassas, which serves all of Northern Virginia, will determine the cause and manner of Lonczak's death, which could take eight to 12 weeks.

Condolences began appearing over the weekend on social media sites for Lonczak and her family, and an area funeral home posted her obituary with an online guestbook.

"I send my deepest condolences to the Lonzack family. Playing field hockey with Emylee was a joy and she was always someone I could count on to cheer me on. I will miss her smiling face in the hallways," Kayla Waysome of Springfield wrote in the guestbook.

The family said in an obituary that those wishing to make memorial donations for Lonczak consider the Special Olympics or a similar organization. 

More:

Letter: Principal Informs Community of Student's Death

Teenager Found Dead in Vienna Was McLean High School Student


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