Searchers Find Body Of Missing Va. Officer

The body of the Fairfax County police officer who disappeared last week in Pohick Bay during a training exercise was found yesterday 100 feet from where he was last seen, police said.

The murky waters and the contours and makeup of the bottom of the bay made the search for 2nd Lt. Francis J. Stecco, 42, "particularly difficult," police said in a news release. Authorities said searchers had to rely on touch rather than sight.

Police said they had not found a reason for Stecco's disappearance Tuesday in an operation for which the 19-year veteran had volunteered.

The search with boats, helicopters and dogs ended about midday, four days after it began. Mary Ann Jennings, Fairfax County police spokeswoman, said the department turned immediately to investigating the cause of death.

"My heart goes out to Frank's family, to his police family and to the community Frank worked in and loved," Police Chief David M. Rohrer said.

Word of the discovery spread quickly throughout the department, including in the Mount Vernon station where Stecco had spent most of his career, as Rohrer went to Stecco's home in Prince William County to tell his family.

Under police escort, relatives traveled to the dock at Pohick Bay Regional Park where Stecco's body had been taken. After about 15 minutes, they returned home, and the body, escorted by motorcycle units, was taken by ambulance to the medical examiner's office. Many officers gathered at the dock to pay their respects.

Stecco's family -- he was married and had three children, ages 16, 13 and 10 -- was in seclusion. A person who answered the telephone at Stecco's house declined to be interviewed.

Stecco was described as an energetic, active officer who loved to be in the thick of things.

"Frank was a real character, and people loved him," Jennings said. "He had a lot of friends. He was so full of life that nobody expected this. It is really hard on everybody. . . . Many police officers have told me there is no one they would rather have their back in any situation than Frank Stecco."

Stecco, who had water rescue training in the military, had volunteered for the exercise in Pohick Bay, in southeastern Fairfax County, about 25 miles south of the District. The bay is bordered on the south by Pohick Bay Regional Park, part of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. The exercise involved members of the police dive team as well as helicopter and marine patrol units and several Fairfax firefighters.

Apparently while playing the role of someone who needed to be rescued from the water, Stecco was reported missing at 2:47 p.m., about 75 minutes after the training had begun. The role did not require him to wear an oxygen tank or breathing apparatus, but he had on a "dry suit" designed to keep the body warm in cold water.