Body of missing Lake Ridge woman found; man, 19, charged with murder

Editor’s Note: This is a corrected version of the story based on receipt of corrected information from Sgt. Perok of Prince William County Police Department.

Murder Investigation – On Aug. 5 at 12:41 a.m., officers of the Prince William County Police Department responded to the 12300 block of Pond Run Dr in Woodbridge (22192) to investigate a missing person.

When officers arrived, they spoke to a staff member of Youth Quest Independent Living, a private program operated under Intercept Youth Services based in Richmond, VA, who reported that the victim, identified as Erica Janelle HICKSON, went missing at some point during her shift, according to Sgt. Jonathan Perok,  police department spokesman. The victim was a counselor of the program tasked with supervising young adults housed in the complex, Perok said.

The investigation revealed that the victim was last heard from around 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 4. A helicopter from Fairfax County Police, a bloodhound from Virginia State Police, and patrol officers conducted an extensive search of the immediate area and were unable to locate the victim around the time of her disappearance, according to the police report.

Later in the morning of Aug. 5, members of the Prince William County Search & Rescue Team, in conjunction with federal investigators from the ATF and FBI, conducted a second thorough ground search of the area. Around 1 p.m. on Aug. 5, the victim’s body was located in a wooded area near Golf Side Circle, the police report stated.

During the investigation, detectives from the Homicide Unit developed a person of interest, later identified as the accused. The accused resides in an apartment on Golf Side Circle near where the victim was found deceased, the police report said.

Sgt. Perok said homicide detectives were also able to link the accused to the death of Lizeth Yadira LOPEZ, who was also a counselor for the same program and was found dead on April 29. The accused is a resident of the program and was known to both victims.

Following the investigation, the accused, identified as Ronald Francis DORSEY Jr., was charged in connection to both deaths. The murder of Erica Janelle HICKSON is Prince William County’s 16th homicide for 2016.*
          Arrested on Aug 5:
          Ronald Francis DORSEY Jr., 19, of 3670 Golf Side Cir, Apt #402, in Woodbridge
          Charged with 2 counts of murder
          Court Date: October 3, 2016 | Bond: Held WITHOUT Bond

          Identified:
          The victim was identified as Erica Janelle HICKSON, 37, of Woodbridge

*Note: Homicide numbers are subject to change based on case reclassification.

Homicide Investigation [Previously Released] – On April 29 at 10:56AM, officers responded to the area of Cotton Mill Dr and Griffith Ave in Woodbridge to investigate a found body. Officers arrived in the area and located the body of an adult woman, presumed to be Lizeth Yadira LOPEZ, 36, who was reported as missing and endangered on April 19.

The body was located near a drainage ditch in the above area and was transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. On May 6, detectives from the Homicide Unit received confirmation that the victim is Lizeth Yadira LOPEZ. The victim was originally reported missing to the Alexandria City Police Department on April 19.

Detectives from Alexandria Police located her vehicle near her place of employment on Pond Run Dr in Woodbridge on April 20. At that point, the case was turned over to Prince William County Police for further investigation. During the investigation, detectives learned that the victim exited the CVS store located on Touchstone Circle around 9:00PM on April 17. There was no known contact with Ms. Lopez after 10:00PM on the night of April 17.

On April 22, members of the Prince William County Police and Fairfax County Police Search and Rescue Teams, in addition to, helicopter assistance from Fairfax County Police and canines from the Fairfax County Fire Department and Virginia State Police aided in a ground search near Ms. Lopez’s work in Woodbridge. After an extensive search of the wooded areas near that location nothing of note was initially found.

Identified:
The victim was identified as Lizeth Yardira LOPEZ, 36, of Alexandria.