By Jerald Jimenez
02 Sep 2023, 22:00 PM EDT
A Maryland man faces murder charges in the kidnapping and murder of a teacher who went for a walk in a park and never returned, police announced Friday.
Mariame Sylla, 59, was a teacher at Dora Kennedy French Immersion School in the Prince George’s County School District. The woman was reported missing by a family friend in late July, after she failed to return from her evening walk through the Greenbelt on July 29.
On August 1, a citizen alerted police to possible human remains found in Clinton, where a dismembered body was found. DNA testing recently confirmed the remains were those of Sylla, police said.
The investigation led police to identify Harold Francis Landon III, 33, of University Park, as a suspect in her murder.
Landon was allegedly at the park when Sylla was abducted and was later identified by her vehicle, a vintage white Chevrolet.
Homicide detectives filed first-degree murder charges against him Friday for Sylla’s murder. He was expected to have his first appearance on Friday and a bail review of him possibly on Tuesday.
It’s unclear if Landon has an attorney who can speak on his behalf. He has been in Department of Corrections custody since Aug. 1 on an unrelated assault charge.
The suspect and the victim do not appear to have met, according to Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz, who said detectives have yet to find any connection between them.
“I think we have a person who decided to go out and commit a horrible crime,” Aziz said, adding that the motive for the crime remains under investigation.
An autopsy is currently underway to determine Sylla’s cause of death, police said. Investigators are also working to determine where and when she was killed.
Sylla’s remains were discovered about 18 miles south of its last known location.
Sylla was a beloved and respected teacher by her students and colleagues at Dora Kennedy School, where she had taught for nearly 20 years. Her disappearance sparked community searches and vigils in the weeks after she was reported missing.
“She was a loving, caring, passionate teacher,” said Principal James A. Spence II. “She was a student favorite.”
With information from Washington Post