Maryland
Gruesome discovery in torched car sparks a mystery in quaint waterfront Maryland town
Human remains found in the shell of a scorched car have led to a chilling mystery in a quaint waterfront Maryland town, according to police.
The disturbing discovery was made Saturday night, police said, after a motorist called 911 to report a car on fire outside the Tropic Bay Aquatic Garden Center in Davidsonville, Md., a tony community about 40 minutes outside the nation’s capital.
When firefighters arrived, they found a car engulfed in flames. Once they extinguished the blaze, they discovered a scorched human body in the passenger side of the car, police said.
Cops are treating the car fire as a suspicious death investigation. What was left of the body was taken to the medical examiner for an autopsy and identification.
“That certainly changed our investigation from what appeared to be an initial vehicle fire to a suspicious death investigation,” Anne Arundel County police spokesperson Justin Mulcahy told WJZ News. “That’s where we’re at right now.”
The gruesome discovery shocked residents of the small and idyllic waterfront town, where the median sales price of a home is almost $1 million, and the average income is $223,135.
“My wife called and asked me if I heard what happened. I was just shocked,” local Pete Best told WJZ. “It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing that would happen in a small town.”
Best told the outlet that he was playing a gig next door to Tropic Bay at the time of the discovery.
“These kinds of things happen on TV, and then you go, ‘Wow, I can’t believe it’s right around the corner,’” Best said. “It kind of puts you on your heels a little bit for sure.”
The Anne Arundel County Fire and Explosives Investigations Unit is investigating the cause of the fire as detectives work to identify the victim – and determine how they ended up in the torched car, according to reports.
Regular customers of Tropic Bay, which specializes in koi fish and water features, were surprised to find it closed the following morning and surrounded with yellow police tape, according to WBAL.
The parking lot, with a sign that reads “America’s Premiere Aquatic Garden Center,” was still littered with toasted car parts from what WBAL called a recent model Ford.
Customers told the station that the owner never closed on the weekend since that was his busiest time. They worried about the animals inside the store and whether they were getting fed and cared for.
Mulcahy told WJZ that he is counting on witnesses or surveillance video to help solve the mystery.
“We’re going to talk to anybody who may have frequented that business,” Mulcahy said. “Certainly, any surveillance footage would be part of the investigation as well, or anything we can gather to assist our case right now.”
Maryland
Md. Department of Education committee begins search for permanent Prince George’s schools chief – WTOP News
Current Superintendent Shawn Joseph was appointed June 2025 by County Executive Aisha Braveboy (D) to replace former Superintendent Millard House II after the teachers’ union gave House a vote of no confidence.
This article was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.
The Maryland State Department of Education announced the next steps Monday in the process to find a permanent superintendent for Prince George’s County public schools, the state’s second-largest school system.
Current Superintendent Shawn Joseph was appointed June 2025 by County Executive Aisha Braveboy (D) to replace former Superintendent Millard House II after the teachers’ union gave House a vote of no confidence.
Because Joseph’s position is for the current 2025-26 school year, state law requires a three-member search committee be named to help find a permanent leader.
State Superintendent Carey Wright selected state Board of Education member James Bell Jr. to chair the committee. Gov. Wes Moore (D) appointed two county residents, Jennifer Avelar and Gordon L. Sampson, to join the panel.
Avelar serves as a C.O.A.S.T. (Creating Opportunities for Academic Success and Transfer) adviser at Prince George’s Community College, managing pre-enrollment advising for recruitment and the dual enrollment program for high school students. Sampson worked in the county’s public schools as a teacher, instructional specialist and principal from 1969 until his retirement in 2000. He became a member of the Bowie State University Foundation’s board of directors in 2017 and served as chair for five years.
PoliHire, a Washington, D.C. based search firm, will partner with Braveboy and the county’s school board in a national recruitment effort to find the next superintendent.
The department said the firm helped solicit feedback from various stakeholders to not only develop a leadership profile, but also garner responses from about 8,600 people in a community survey “on school system perspectives and qualities in the next superintendent.” The survey ended Friday.
Candidates interested in the position must submit applications by April 22. Once received, the committee will work with the firm to screen applications, conduct background checks and interview candidates.
Three finalists will be forwarded to Braveboy by May 8.
Braveboy has until June 1 to forward a candidate to the county school board, which must make a decision by June 30. Once the county executive selects a candidate, which must be done by June 1, that person’s name will be sent to the county school board for its approval by June 30.
Final approval rests with the state superintendent, for a schools chief to serve a four-year term.
“We remain committed to a transparent, inclusive, and thoughtful process.” Bell said in a statement Monday. “Over the coming weeks, committee members will carefully assess each applicant’s qualifications, leadership experience, and vision for advancing student achievement and supporting our educators and school communities.
“The committee will keep the Prince George’s County Public Schools community informed as we move forward. Our goal is to recommend highly qualified candidates who will lead Prince George’s County Public Schools into its next chapter of excellence,” he said.
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A Waynesboro man died Sunday, March 29, after the tractor-trailer he was driving in Frederick County, Maryland, crashed, according to Maryland State Police.
The truck driver was identified as Timothy Rice Jr., 28, of Waynesboro.
State police from the Frederick barrack responded shortly before 8:30 a.m. Sunday to the area of southbound U.S. 15 at West 7th Street for a reported overturned tractor-trailer, according to an email from state police spokesperson Ashley Millner.
The preliminary investigation indicates that, for unknown reasons, the tractor-trailer left the road before overturning, according to state police. State police are continuing to investigate.
Rice was pronounced deceased at the scene by emergency medical service personnel.
No other injuries were reported.
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