A 44-year-old woman, Candace Craig and her 19-year-old daughter, Salia Hardy have been charged for dismembering the family’s matriach and grilling her body parts in their Maryland home.
The duo were arrested in connection to the death of 71-year-old Margaret Craig which Police said took place inside the victim’s Landover home in Prince George’s County, bordering the eastern portion of Washington D.C.
“Based on additional evidence gathered at the home, as well as multiple interviews, the preliminary investigation suggests Candace Craig murdered her mother on May 23.”
According to Police, officers responded to the home on June 2 for a welfare check, and when officers entered the family’s house, they immediately smelled decomposing remains.
Court records obtained by local TV station WTOP, show homicide investigators then found three bags of human body parts in the basement.
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“She and her daughter dismembered the body, I believe using a chain saw, and then attempted to dispose of the parts of the body using fire on a grill and in a bonfire,” Prince George County assistant state Attorney Jessica Garth told WTOP.
One of the fires, police said, may have been set as far back as 27 May.
Although Margaret Craig was still considered a missing person on Wednesday, when police showed up at her home last week, they said her car was still in the driveway.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is working to identify who the body parts belong to and how they died, Police said in the statement, but, according to homicide detectives, all indications show they likely belong to the missing senior.
Police said a motive in the crime remained under investigation on Wednesday, but court papers show the victim’s mother accused her daughter of credit card fraud, prompting an argument possibly leading to the killing.
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The court documents also accuse Hardy of finding the body in a plastic bin, and helping to dismember and dispose of it. Candace Craig faces charges including first and second-degree murder.
Hardy, is also charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder. Both remained jailed in Maryland Wednesday, online records show.
“The detectives of the Homicide Unit will ensure a thorough investigation is conducted and that both suspects are held accountable for their cruel and criminal behavior,” said Major David Blazer, commander of the police department’s Major Crimes Division.
A preliminary hearing in the case is set for 3 July, court records show.
