Anne Arundel Co. police find body in burned-out vehicle

A body was found inside a burning vehicle late Tuesday night, according to police in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.

Police said they are conducting a death investigation, but suspect it was a homicide.



Police and firefighters found the burning vehicle off a winding stretch of Brock Bridge Road north of Route 198 near the Howard County line just before midnight. When the flames were extinguished, authorities said, they found a body in the back seat.

“We don’t know anything about the victim. We don’t know age; we don’t know race; we don’t know sex,” said Lieutenant Jackie Davis, with Anne Arundel County Police Department. “The remains were charred beyond recognition.”

She said the vehicle, which they think was an SUV though even that isn’t certain yet, was burnt down to the frame.

“So you can imagine what that type of heat will do to a human,” Davis said.

Police and firefighters found the burning vehicle off a winding stretch of Brock Bridge Road north of Route 198 near the Howard County line just before midnight on Tuesday. (WTOP/John Domen)

The vehicle was found about 100 yards off the road, close to a dense tree line.

Police said an autopsy will be conducted on Thursday to determine both cause and manner of death.

Homicide detectives are “looking at it as suspicious,” she added. “It could be anything. They do think it’s suspicious though so they’re erring on the side of thinking it will become a homicide.”

Davis said detectives are hoping that anyone who was in the area last night will reach out to them with any information.

“Anybody that maybe saw anything, was on that roadway, maybe saw someone walking away, that type of thing, that didn’t think anything of it at the time because it’s not suspicious just to see people out and about,” explained Davis. “But if they think about it, hear about this now, maybe they’ll remember something.”

You can do that by calling 410-222-4700 or by reporting it online.

John Domen

John started working at WTOP in 2016 after having grown up in Maryland listening to the station as a child. While he got his on-air start at small stations in Pennsylvania and Delaware, he's spent most of his career in the D.C. area, having been heard on several local stations before coming to WTOP.

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