78-Year-Old Quang Hang, Missing After Driving To Car Inspection, Found Dead In Submerged Vehicle

Police confirmed on Dec. 8 that 78-year-old Quang Hang, who was reported missing after leaving his Chantilly, Virginia, home on Dec. 1 to have his car inspected in Leesburg, was found deceased inside a submerged vehicle in the Occoquan River.

What Authorities Say

A Fairfax County Police Department spokesperson told PEOPLE that Hang's body was discovered in a vehicle submerged near the 10700 block of Old Colchester Road in Lorton. Investigators said there are no signs of foul play, though a formal death investigation remains ongoing.

Timeline And Key Details

Family members said Hang left his home on Dec. 1 planning to drive to Leesburg for a vehicle inspection but never arrived. Surveillance or witness reports placed his vehicle on the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Alexandria at about 4:45 p.m. on the day he disappeared, according to an alert shared by Fairfax County police.

About 40 minutes after the Parkway sighting, an Apple AirTag associated with Hang's belongings registered at Old Colchester Road in Lorton, which alarmed family members because Leesburg is in the opposite direction, his daughter Betsy Hang told WUSA.

Family Concerns

Hang's family told reporters he had issues with memory loss, walked slowly with a limp and required daily medication — including blood pressure medicine he did not have access to after he disappeared. Relatives said it was out of character for him not to call for help; in previous episodes of getting lost, he had always contacted family.

Search Efforts

In the days after he vanished, searches by family, volunteers and local authorities yielded no results, and the Virginia State Police issued a Critically Missing Adult Alert while the search continued. At the time he was last seen, police said Hang was wearing a navy coat, a pink-and-white striped shirt, jeans and sneakers.

"We're here. Come home," his daughter Betsy told reporters during the search.

A family spokesperson declined to comment when contacted by PEOPLE. Fairfax County police confirmed the discovery to PEOPLE on Dec. 8 as investigators continue to examine the circumstances surrounding his death.