Body Found at Church Playground in Pr. George's

The naked body of a Hispanic man was found behind a Prince George's County church early Monday morning, and police said they think he was killed.

A staff member at Ascension Lutheran Church and Day School called police about 7:30 a.m. after finding the body in the parking lot near a basketball court and playground, police said. Investigators determined that the death was a homicide, and they said they think the man was killed in the hours before 7:30 a.m., said Lt. Col Kevin Davis, the department's deputy chief in charge of major crimes and homicide.

Davis identified the man only as a Hispanic male in his 20s or 30s. He said that the man had suffered some sort of trauma to his torso, and that investigators have no suspects in the case.

Capt. Misty Mints, a police spokeswoman, said detectives are exploring why the man was naked.

Neighbors of the church in the 7400 block of Buchanan Street in the Landover Hills area said youths frequent the area at night, drinking and using drugs. They said it is not uncommon to hear gunshots from the church parking lot, though no one reported hearing any Sunday night or Monday morning.

A woman who answered the phone at the church declined to comment.