Young Democrats Of Maryland President Joseph Kitchen was found deceased late Sunday, about a week after going missing, police officials said.
Kitchen was last seen on Aug. 8 at Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis, the Prince George’s County Police Department said in an alert on Friday. In an update over the weekend, the department said Kitchen was found dead in the District of Columbia.
“The Prince George’s County Police Department offers our condolences to Mr. Kitchen’s family and friends,” it said.
The Metropolitan Police Department is leading the investigation into the death.
The Maryland Democratic Party issued a statement saying Kitchen had “a kind heart that has impacted so many.”
“Thank you everyone for your efforts to find @josephlkitchen. Sadly, I am sharing that Joseph has passed away. Rest in peace, my dear friend. I truly miss you,” added Jheanelle Wilkins, a Democratic state delegate.
In statements posted on Facebook on Aug. 9, Kitchen said he was “coming for” the national Young Democrats of America.
“LETS BE CLEAR, it is not trauma informed that you silence an entire discussion on sexual trauma because you individually cannot tell with the story. That’s ignoring the solutions necessary and young liberals doing it are not the future of our party. THEY ARE TRASH,” he wrote in one.
In another, he accused a group official of missing one of her duties but later entering a group chat to say derogatory things about other people.
The Young Democrats of America said in a statement that workers were “saddened to learn of the tragic and untimely passing of Joseph Kitchen,” calling him “a fixture within YDA for over a decade and was well known for his veracious style and fierce advocacy for continued transparency within the organization.”
Lawrence Ramirez, Kitchen’s brother, told The Washington Post that no foul play is suspected. Ramirez said in a post on Facebook that his brother was found at his apartment.
“We now ask that you give our family some privacy to process their horrible new[s],” he wrote.
Kitchen worked for the Washington School for Girls.
“It is with profound sadness that we share with you the news that our colleague Joseph Kitchen has been found deceased. As an integral part of the WSG community for so many years, our hearts are heavy; we can’t even fully process this loss at the moment,” the school said in a statement on Facebook.
