WASHINGTON – A body pulled from the Anacostia River more than two weeks ago has been positively identified as a D.C. teen that had been missing since the beginning of the year. 

Police say the remains of 17-year-old Nyair Raymond were found not far from where he was last seen by police back on Jan. 15.

Police chase ends in crash

The backstory:

Raymond was last seen on January 15 after fleeing from a stolen vehicle during a police pursuit near the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge. 

D.C. police say they tried to stop a stolen vehicle on South Capitol Street, Southwest. The car crashed and the passenger, who they believe was Raymond, got away on foot. 

Raymond’s mother, Sharnell Ford, told FOX 5 that three days after his disappearance, Raymond’s phone was found in the area. 

On March 7, a body was recovered from the same location. His remains were positively identified by the medical examiner this week.

DC teen vanishes after police chase, mom demands answers

Mom suspects foul play

What She Says:

Ford believes foul play may have been involved. She says body camera footage from the night of the chase could provide critical answers.

“I want to know what they did and what they didn’t do,” Ford said. “Something happened under that bridge.”

According to a police report, officers attempted to stop a black Kia Sportage for a traffic violation when the driver and passenger fled on foot. The driver, 18-year-old Jalen Anthony Young, was arrested, while the passenger — believed to be Nyair — escaped.

The Metropolitan Police Department listed Nyair as a missing person on January 18 and confirmed they believe he was the passenger in the vehicle. However, Ford says authorities have been slow to provide her with information.

“They’ve had that body for over a week, and they’re telling me they won’t let me see it,” she said.

Ford, who describes her son as a determined young man with dreams of starting a construction business, is calling for justice.

“My son has been wronged somewhere,” she said. “This is a murder — I feel it in my heart.”

No answers yet

What we don’t know:

It’s not yet clear how Raymond ended up in the river and police have not released a detailed report on the incident at this time. Check back for updates.

Washington, D.C.’s iconic cherry blossoms are getting closer to the 2025 peak bloom. Thousands of trees with white and pink flowers circle the Tidal Basin and parks near some of the capital’s famous monuments and memorials.

Here’s what to know about when and where to see the cherry trees in bloom.

When will the cherry blossoms bloom in Washington, D.C., this year?

Peak bloom occurs when 70% of the blossoms of the Yoshino cherry trees, the most common type along the Tidal Basin, are open. The National Park Service, which tracks the blooming of the trees each year, predicts peak bloom will be between March 28 and 31 this year.

Based on over 100 years of data, the average peak bloom date is April 3, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The timing of peak bloom varies each year, largely due to temperatures, with warmer temperatures leading to earlier peak blooms. 

Since 1921, when the National Park Service began recording the dates, peak blooms have shifted earlier by about eight days, the EPA says.

What is the status of cherry blossoms in D.C.?

As of March 20, the official first day of spring, 70% of the Yoshino cherry trees around the Tidal Basin reached the fourth stage in their blooming, which is peduncle elongation, according to the National Park Service. There is one more stage, puffy blossoms, before peak bloom.

A live camera provided by the Trust for the National Mall offers viewers a chance to check the status of some of the blossoms.

Where to see the D.C. cherry blossoms

The most famous place to see the cherry blossoms in the nation’s capital is around the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park. Many cherry trees are also along a section of the Potomac River and Washington Channel in East Potomac Park.

This year, construction that began in August 2024 to replace seawalls along the Potomac River and part of the Tidal Basin could affect the viewing of some of the cherry trees. The work is expected to last through 2026.

However, there are many other cherry trees throughout Washington, D.C. Casey Trees, a nonprofit that plants and cares for trees in the city, provides a map of where to see the blossoms across Washington. The map does not include trees on private property, the organization said.

How long will the cherry blossoms last in D.C.?

The Yoshino cherry trees usually bloom for several days, the National Park Service said, but weather conditions will affect the length of time. 

“Cool, calm weather can extend the length of the bloom, and a rainy, windy day can bring an abrupt end to the ephemeral blossoms,” the agency said on its website. “A late frost can prevent the trees from blooming at all.”

Why does D.C. have cherry blossoms?

Japan gifted more than 3,000 cherry trees to the United States in 1912 as a symbol of friendship.

That year, first lady Helen Herron Taft and the wife of the Japanese ambassador, Viscountess Chinda Iwa, planted two of the Yoshino cherry trees along the Tidal Basin, the National Park Service notes in a history of the trees. In the next few years, the trees continued to be planted around the basin and other areas.

But the idea to plant Japanese cherry trees in the U.S. capital was raised as early as 1885 by a woman named Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore, a writer and diplomat, according to the National Park Service. 

Despite her first request to the U.S. Army Superintendent of the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds not going anywhere, she continued to ask and eventually wrote to Herron Taft, who helped bring the idea to life, the agency says.

Taylor Johnston

contributed to this report.