Maryland Young Democrats President Joseph L. Kitchen Jr. was found dead Sunday in his apartment, according to a statement released by Kitchen’s family on Sunday afternoon.
Kitchen was 34-years-old.
Friends of Kitchen began circulating a digital flyer Saturday on social media that requested the public’s help in locating the Prince George’s County resident.
“Today at 2:25 p.m our family received the news that we didn’t want to hear. Our brother was found at his apartment deceased.”
The family requests privacy to process the news of Kitchen’s death, their statement says.
Prince George’s County Police said Kitchen was last seen in person Aug. 8 at Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis.
Kitchen participated in a Zoom meeting on Aug. 11 – though no one had heard from him since.
Friends of Kitchen say they expected him to comment publicly on former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s announcement that he chose U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) to seek the vice presidency as his running mate.
Kitchen’s silence over the major political event, friends say, caused them to worry about him.
A native of California, Kitchen was employed at the Washington School for Girls in Southeast D.C.
He was a longtime political activist and an ordained minister in the Southern Baptist church.
This story will be updated.