Photo: Prince George County Police Department
Authorities in Maryland have charged a man in connection with the kidnapping and murder of a teacher who went missing at the end of July.
The Prince George County Police Department said that Harold Francis Landon III, who has been in police custody since August 1 on unrelated charges, has been charged with first-degree murder for the death of 59-year-old Mariame Sylla.
Sylla was last seen on July 29, when she went for an evening walk in Greenbelt. On August 1, a passerby reported possible human remains in Clifton, about 20 miles south of where Sylla went missing.
Officials said that a DNA analysis recently identified the dismembered remains of Sylla's. An investigation led to Landon, who was in the park at the same time Sylla was walking.
Investigators said that the two did not know each other, and a motive for the killing has not been determined.
"I just think we have a person who decided to go out and commit a horrific crime," Prince George's County Police Chief Malik Aziz said during a press conference.
"Ms. Sylla was a beloved teacher and member of the Greenbelt community. Her murder is tragic. We hope the arrest of Landon provides some comfort to her family and all who knew and loved her. I thank the women and men of our Homicide Unit, the Greenbelt Police Department, and all of our partner agencies for their relentless effort to find Ms. Sylla's murderer and hold him accountable," Chief Aziz said.