Police release identity of man struck on I-95

State police released the identity yesterday of a 26-year-old Prince George's County man whose remains were spread across Interstate 95 after being struck multiple times before dawn Monday, closing northbound lanes for seven hours.

Investigators notified the relatives in Mexico of Antonio Orozco Martinez, of the 3400 block of Dodge Park Road in Landover. But they released no other details about Martinez, and it remained unclear how his remains came to rest on the interstate, said Maryland State Police 1st Sgt. Russell Newell.

Little is known because several drivers who hit the body did not stop, police said. Authorities are looking into a number of possibilities, including that he was struck as a pedestrian, that someone pushed the victim into the road or that he was killed and left there.

State police were able to identify Martinez through an intact hand that was found on a section of the northbound lanes between Route 175 and Route 100 Monday morning. The victim's fingerprints matched those in a national database, although Newell would not describe the nature of the electronic records.

State police also have contacted a regional gang task force in their search for clues.

"The contact is based on standard protocol," Newell said.

[e-mail]