A Silver Spring family is looking for answers after its 21-year-old son, a community college student, was found dead in a D.C. neighborhood more than eight miles from home Sunday morning.

Family members say Michael Taylor had no ties to the Petworth neighborhood of D.C., where his body was found about 7:45 a.m. Sunday in an alley between the 600 blocks of Emerson and Farragut streets, NW.

Neighbors said they heard what they thought were fireworks the night before. He was last seen in downtown Silver Spring Saturday night by an acquaintance, according to family members.

"We can't find the car so we know it was a robbery," said Taylor's father Winston. "They took his cell phone and his wallet was empty."

The victim's mother, Merida Taylor, says her son was studying criminal justice at Howard Community College, and planned to become a federal law enforcement agent. He had been captain of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School's football team, according to Mrs. Taylor.

Family members say they have not idea what happened.

"I knew something wasn't right when his job called me 45 minutes after he was supposed to be on duty and said he wasn't at his post," recalled his brother, Alex Taylor. "And when I called the house to check on him one more time, my uncle said detectives were there and said they found my brother dead."

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