(Breaking news) Lexington Park couple attacked, woman killed

Friday, June 5, 2009

A Lexington Park woman was allegedly killed by a carjacker on Maryland's Eastern shore early Friday morning and the Maryland State Police are searching for the suspect and the woman's car, according a press release.

Police said the woman and her husband were stopped at a gas station while driving home from New York and a man wearing a mask and gloves forced to drive to a remote are in Kent County, where he murdered the wife. The carjacking occurred along the New Jersey Turnpike.

Police have not released the identity of either of the victims, pending notification of the families. The deceased victim is believed to be in her 20s, according to an MSP press release.

Shortly before 6 a.m. Friday, Maryland State Police and Kent County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a 911 call from a home in the 10000-block of Crumpton Road in Crumpton. Troopers and deputies who responded met with the male victim who said a man had carjacked them overnight and forced them to drive to that location had assaulted his wife about one-quarter mile from the house.

Troopers and deputies searched the area along Rt. 290 south of the home and found the body of the female victim lying in a field on the southbound side of Rt. 290. EMS units were called and the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

The husband was transported to Kent/Queen Anne's Hospital by ambulance. He was treated and released for what appears to be a knife wound on his arm and other smaller cuts. He may also have an internal injury, the release said.

Kent County Sheriff John Price requested that the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit respond and conduct the investigation. The Homicide Unit is being assisted by investigators from the Kent Bureau of Investigation.

The husband told investigators that he and his wife were traveling from Brooklyn, N.Y., last night to their home in Lexington Park. They left New York sometime after 9 p.m., driving their 2007 blue Honda Accord, with Virginia registration, 876718.

The husband said they stopped along the New Jersey Turnpike to get gas. While there, he said they were carjacked by a man with a gun who forced them into the car and made the husband drive. The race of the suspect is unknown. The husband said the man wore a mask, gloves and a black hooded sweatshirt.

The husband said he was directed to drive to the location along Rt. 290, which is about four miles north of Rt. 301 in the rural area of Crumpton. The husband said that at about 1:30 a.m. Friday, the suspect forced them out of the car. He said the suspect assaulted him and bound his hands and feet together with duct tape.

The husband said after he was bound, his wife tried to flee, but was run down by the suspect and assaulted. The husband, lying in a field along the road, worked throughout the early morning hours to free himself from the duct tape.

When he was able to free himself, the husband said he tried to flag down passing motorists, but no one stopped. He said he walked to the house about one-quarter mile away and asked the resident to call 911 shortly before 6 a.m.

Maryland State Police, Kent County deputies, Maryland Natural Resources Police and allied law enforcement are continuing to search the area. Crime scene technicians from the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division processed the scene for evidence.

The victim's body has been transported to the Office of the State Medical Examiner for an autopsy. Cause and manner of death have not been identified at this time. The victim had sustained what appeared to be knife wounds to the upper body.

A lookout for the victims' vehicle was immediately broadcast and sent to law enforcement nationally. State Police are working with police from NYPD, New Jersey State Police, and state and county police in Southern Maryland on this continuing investigation.

Anyone who may have been traveling along Rt. 290 between the hours of 1 and 6 a.m. Friday is urged to contact Maryland State Police at the Centreville Barracks at 410-758-1101. Callers may remain anonymous.