LOUISA COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A community is in mourning after the unexpected death of the Louisa County Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney, Michael Perkins, last week.
Perkins was reported missing by his wife, Taylor, on Sunday, Feb. 19, after he did not show up to have family pictures taken that day.
“So Michael went missing last Sunday and he was supposed to be with his family that afternoon for family pictures,” Rusty McGuire, the Louisa Commonwealth’s Attorney, said. “And when he didn’t show up, the family knew something was wrong.”
The Richmond Police Department found Michael’s remains shortly afterwards on Tuesday, Feb. 21. He was found in the parking lot of a Richmond gym, where he had completed a workout before his death. He was 35 years old.
“No one expects something like this,” McGuire said. “Just it’s sad. He went to the gym and he was still in the car at the gym.”
Perkins had been practicing law for a little over a decade. However, he had only been at his post in the Louisa Commonwealth Attorney’s Office for about two months.
“He joined us right at the first of the year,” McGurie said. “He knew in December he was coming and so he’d been with us, just this job a full two months and enough time for us to get to know him well and think the world of him and a bit too short a time to really have a longer career.”
Despite his short career, McGuire told 8News that Perkins had already touched so many in both the Louisa County and Richmond communities. His office says he will be very missed by all those who knew him or had the opportunity to work with him as a prosecutor in Louisa County.
“Everyone was really in shock,” McGuire said. “Michael was such a bright light in our office always had a smile on his face when he came in he was always interacting with everyone so yeah, it’s difficult when you’re a small office when you lose somebody in an office and its very rare to lose a Commonwealth’s Attorney.”
Perkins leaves behind his wife and two young children, Mila and Mason.
