A man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a mother and daughter in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, who were found buried in a shallow grave, according to the county’s sheriff’s Office.
Martina Lynn Patterson, 37, and Lyneasha Justice Greenwell, 6, both of Lexington Park, were found dead after they were reported missing on Wednesday, according to the sheriff’s office.
A neighbor told the sheriff’s office that they saw Wayne Carroll Key Jr., 42, of Lexington Park, dragging a trash can into a wooden area, according to WTOP news partner NBC Washington.
Investigators then found the shallow grave when they went into that wooded area, according to NBC.
A warrant was then issued for Key for two counts each of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree assault and second-degree assault, the sheriff’s office said.
“It’s terrible, nobody should take nobody’s life the way they took my daughter and my granddaughter … she was just the most beautiful angel in the world,” Margaret Proctor, mother of Martina Patterson told NBC Washington over the phone.
On the sidewalk and front door of their home, there is a memorial to the mother and daughter, NBC Washington said.
“Everybody loved her, she was the mayor of Shangri-La,” John Leys, a neighbor told NBC Washington. “She will be missed. I wake up every morning, and I expect LaLa to knock on my door.”
NBC Washington says a court document filed in the case says Key and Patterson have another younger child in common together and that child is safe and that Key had previously threatened to kill Patterson.
Key was also wanted on prior warrants for burglary, assault, harassment and child support, according to the sheriff’s office.