Man found dead inside overturned car along Baltimore-Washington Parkway

LAUREL, Md. - Authorities say a Laurel man was found dead inside a vehicle overturned in a ditch near the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.

U.S. Park Police spokesperson Sgt. Anna Rose says the car was located at around 2 p.m. Monday by a National Park Service contractor who was cutting grass in an area close to the Route 198 exit.

The vehicle was found several hundreds of feet down a deep embankment off of the parkway in a heavily wooded area north of the ramp. It was partially submerged in water.

Officers worked through waist-deep water to break into the vehicle and found 26-year-old Marcus Lee Freeman in the driver's seat, says Sgt. Rose.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Laurel police say Freeman was reported missing on October 15.

The car, which appeared to have heavy front-end damage, was removed from the ditch later in the evening.

The ramp to westbound Route 198 was closed for about six hours for the police investigation.

The cause of the crash is unknown at this time and remains under investigation.