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.”
Angelique Chengelis of The Detroit News shares three takeaways from Michigan’s 45-20 win over Maryland.
▶ Michigan ups the pressure.
After a lull against Northwestern when Michigan did not record a sack, the Wolverines were back at it against Maryland with three sacks of Malik Washington, who had only been sacked three times all season. They’ve now had 12 in the last four games and rank fourth in the Big Ten and 28th in the nation
Defensive lineman Tre Williams, who had one of the two sacks – Derrick Moore had one to bring his team-best total to 9.5, and Jaishawn Barham had his fourth of the season – said teams are not used to seeing a line that is so aggressive.
“We send waves at people,” Williams said. “It’s not just a couple guys. We send waves and waves and waves and waves at people, and that gets really overwhelming at times for teams.”
Michigan’s defense is now preparing to face Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, who is completing 79.4% of his passes for 2,832 yards and has 27 touchdowns. He has taken six sacks this season.
▶ Marsh a freshman phenom.
All the talk heading into the season was about freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, and he still certainly has plenty of focus on him, but receiver Andrew Marsh continues to stand out.
Against Maryland, Marsh also was a difference-maker in the return game. The freshman had a 39-yard kick return that set up a touchdown in the third quarter, but he has added punt returns to his repertoire. Returning punts has been an issue for Michigan this season, and Marsh had taken over the job from Semaj Morgan last week against Northwestern, and Morgan did not make the trip to Maryland. Marsh returned one for 14 yards before halftime.
Marsh finished with 147 all-purpose yards, including 76 receiving yards and 48 kickoff yards. Still, where he’s making his mark as one of the most influential freshmen. He leads the team in receiving with 42 catches for 641 yards and three touchdowns and averages 15.3 a catch, as does Donaven McCulley.
▶ Not missing a beat in run game.
Not surprisingly, Michigan is a run-first team, but the important point is the Wolverines have been able to sustain their production with three backs – Justice Haynes, Jordan Marshall and Bryson Kuzdzal.
Haynes is injured and won’t play the rest of the regular season and who knows if he’ll be back for any postseason play if there is a Michigan playoff future. Marshall has taken over as Michigan’s leading rusher but didn’t play at Maryland because of a shoulder injury, although he was in uniform. Kuzdzal, a former walk-on, rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns against the Terps.
Michigan has rushed for more than 215 yards in each of the last four games, including 228 against Maryland. The Wolverines are averaging 243.3 yards a game in those four games and rank 12th nationally (223.0).
While Kuzdzal is a capable back and fast – he said he was timed at 4.4 in the 40-yard dash in high school, the Wolverines need Marshall healthy for the upcoming game against Ohio State, which is No. 2 in rush defense (81.4).
achengelis@detroitnews.com
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — A Maryland man was shot and killed following an argument inside a car in downtown Silver Spring on Friday afternoon, and police said the suspected shooter, a relative of the victim, was arrested just hours later.
Fallou Galass Fall, 20, of Laurel, faces first-degree murder in the shooting death of Babacar Mbengue, 22.
The Montgomery County Police Department said 3rd District officers and Fire Rescue personnel were called around 2:07 p.m. on Nov. 21 to Richmond Avenue near Fenton Street for a report of a shooting.
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First responders found Mbengue lying in the street with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Homicide detectives quickly discovered and identified Fall as the gunman.
Investigators said Mbengue and Fall were inside a red Tesla when an argument broke out. The verbal dispute escalated, and both men reportedly got out of the car and kept fighting in the middle of the road. During the altercation, police said Fall pulled out a gun and shot Mbengue before driving away in the Tesla.
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Fall was taken into custody shortly after 6 p.m. when officers in Laurel stopped him as he was driving away from his apartment. He was taken to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit and served a warrant for first-degree murder. As of Saturday, Fall was awaiting a bond hearing.
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Anyone with more information is asked to call the Montgomery County Police’s Homicide Section. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS.
The Michigan Wolverines remain in must-win mode with two games remaining. The Wolverines barely eked out a win over Northwestern this past week, but Michigan survived and advanced to a new week.
Despite being ranked No. 18 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, if Michigan can get by Maryland this weekend, the Wolverines would be in a position to capture the best win in all of college football this season.
The top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will come to town, and in the past four meetings, Michigan has had the Buckeyes’ number. If the Wolverines can go 2-0 in the next two weeks, Michigan is in a great position to re-enter the College Football Playoff after missing it last year.
But first, Michigan has to take care of Maryland. The Wolverines are a double-digit favorite entering the game. And here is how CBS Sports’ panel sees the game going.
Both Chris Hummer and Brad Crawford see Michigan taking care of business in College Park. In fact, both analysts have the Wolverines covering the spread. Both Hummer and Crawford see Michigan’s defense turning up the pressure on freshman Malik Washington and the Wolverines’ defense will get the job done.
Chris Hummer: Michigan 27, Maryland 14
“Mike Locksley is safe in College Park. But that doesn’t make this game with Michigan any easier. The Wolverines are going to run the ball repeatedly against a Maryland defense that ranks 79th nationally in yards allowed per carry. An inefficient Terps run game is also going to run into a wall on the other side of the ball. Expect Michigan DC Wink Martindale to bring pressure against true freshman Malik Washington with regularity — Michigan ranks ninth nationally in blitz rate — as the Terps fall behind the chains.”
Brad Crawford: Michigan 31, Maryland 17
“Have the Terps given up this season? They’re winless since a 4-0 start, but Maryland gave coach Mike Locksley some that the program would make a sizable investment in NIL. That means nothing for Saturday’s game with Michigan, but it offers optimism toward the future in College Park. This is a battle of high-end freshmen quarterback Bryce Underwood and Malik Washington, but the better defense clearly belongs to the Wolverines.”
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