William Albert Xanten III

Bill was born on March 31, 1960 in Takoma Park, MD to William (Bill) Xanten, Jr. and Migiel (Giel) Foster Xanten. He attended Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD and graduated in 1978.

Bill’s interests took him down several career paths, including work at the National Zoo when he was a young man (following in his father’s footsteps), and operating a butcher/meat stand in the Eastern Market, before finding his calling as an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department. He worked his way through the ranks and earned his dream job as a Homicide Detective. Bill worked with MPD until his retirement in 2017. He was a frequent guest speaker at colleges and universities and also helped train prosecutors and police officers in Belize as part of a U.S. Department of Justice program in Central America. Agencies from the Metropolitan Police Department to the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia have honored Bill with numerous law enforcement awards for his skill in solving cases and for advancing the law enforcement profession. In addition to his work on the police force, he shared his expertise with students at American University Law School by serving as an adjunct faculty member with the Stephen S. Weinstein Advocacy Program from 2008 to 2018.

Bill was preceded in death by his beloved mother, Giel. His is survived by his father Bill and his stepmother Francene, his sisters, Susan, Jennifer, Beth (Tom), Tracy (Brett), and Lauren, and his nieces, Ali and Madeleine.

To know Bill was to love him. He had a quick wit, a mischievous sense of humor, and a deep love of family and friends. If you were a friend, you were a friend for life. He was a loving son, protective big brother and devoted uncle who will be missed terribly. A celebration of Bill’s life will occur at a later date, due to the current restrictions on gathering. To honor his lifelong love of Bethany Beach, the family requests, in lieu of flowers, that donations be made to an organization that works to keep the Delaware beaches and ocean clean and accessible: https://app.mobilecause.com/vf/SURFRIDER/team/BillyXanten