4-year-old found dead in creek in 1972 now identified, Virginia officials say
A young boy found dead in a Virginia creek more than 50 years ago has now been identified, but details around his death remain murky, authorities said.
The child was identified July 1 as 4-year-old Carl Matthew Bryant using a DNA profile created with a few millimeters of hair found in his case file, the Fairfax County Police Department said in an Aug. 4 news release.
Carl’s body was found in Massey Creek in June 1972 by a boy riding his bike in Lorton, launching the investigation, Assistant Chief Brooke Wright said during an Aug. 4 news conference.
At the time an autopsy ruled his death a homicide due to blunt force trauma, but there were no leads that could point to who killed him or who he was, police said.
A local church group gave him a name and buried him at a cemetery in Alexandria, police said.
Using the DNA profile, detectives found the child’s family in Philadelphia and through interviews and further DNA testing learned the child was the son of Vera Bryant, who died in 1980, police said.
A family member told police Bryant had two sons, Carl and James, who both vanished while traveling with her and her boyfriend from Philadelphia to Virginia in 1972.
James, Bryant’s other son who was 6 months old when he disappeared, has not been found and is believed to be dead, police said.
What exactly happened to the boys and why they were never reported as missing remains a mystery, but detectives said they have their theories.
“Based on the fact that the couple left with children and arrived without them, they never made a report of any kids being missing, we believe that both boys may have been murdered on June 13, 1972, between Pennsylvania and Virginia,” Wright said during the news conference.
Bryant’s boyfriend, James Hedgepeth, who is also deceased, had previously been convicted of murder, police said.
Detectives are continuing to investigate the case and are asking the public for any information that could help.
Lorton is about a 20-mile drive southwest from Washington, D.C.
This story was originally published August 7, 2025 at 12:22 PM with the headline "4-year-old found dead in creek in 1972 now identified, Virginia officials say."
