Couple's Slaying Rocks South Laurel; Disabled Daughter Found Unharmed

The bodies of a man and woman in their 40s were discovered Thursday at their apartment on Muirkirk Road.

Police say a severely disabled woman was found shaken but unhurt Thursday near the bodies of her mother and her mother's partner—the apparent victims of a double homicide in their South Laurel apartment. Tina Towler, 45, and James Vell Ferguson, 42, were found dead at their home in the 9600 block of Muirkirk Road, according to Prince George's County police. PGPD spokeswoman Julie Parker said two patrol officers responded to the Montpelier Crossing complex around 8:15 a.m. to check on the occupants of the apartment. When they arrived, they encountered the bodies of Towler and Ferguson in their first floor apartment, both apparently suffering from upper body trauma. The two were pronounced dead at the scene. A nurse who cares for Towler's 25…

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Medical Examiner: Former Howard High Football Player Died from Drug Overdose

Joey Bonavitacola's sudden death was caused by the combined effects of heroin, cocaine and alcohol.

  Joey Bonavitacola died suddenly on Sept. 23 from the combined effects of heroin, cocaine and alcohol, according to the Maryland Medical Examiner's office. A spokesperson for the office said the manner of death was undetermined. Bonavitacola, who was 18 at the time of his death, graduated from Howard High School in 2012 and was a star running back on the Howard High football team. He was from Elkridge. Requests for comment from Howard High School and the Howard football team were declined by the school's athletic director, Michael Duffy. Police declined to provide any information surrounding the circumstances of Bonavitacola's death because it was deemed not a criminal matter, according to a Howard County police spokesperson. Attempts to …

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Body Found in Russett

Police found the body of an adult male near a backyard in Russett.

You asked, we answered. After a reader inquired about a body that was found near her backyard, Laurel Patch got to the bottom of things. According to Anne Arundel County police, the body of an adult male in his 20s was found along Carriage Walk in Russett shortly before 2 p.m. Friday. His body was taken to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore. The death is not being investigated as a murder at this time, said Justin Mulcahy, a police spokesman. He added that the man was a possible missing person.  Police are still awaiting a report from the Medical Examiner for the cause of death.

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Fred Mertz

9:09 am on Monday, June 20, 2011

Since the investigation is headed toward accidental death or suicide, the family deserves some privacy from morbid curiosity.   more ›

Delivery Man Dies at Savage Mill

Howard County police said the man appears to have suffered a “medical emergency.”

A 59-year-old Dundalk man died today while delivering food to the Savage Mill, according to the Howard County Police Department. At 11:41 a.m., police received a call that an unresponsive man had been found lying on the ground at the Savage Mill, 8600 Foundry Street, Savage. Dispatchers guided the caller through CPR over the telephone until emergency personnel arrived, according to police spokesperson Elizabeth Schroen. Responders transported the man via ambulance to Howard County General Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Schroen said a preliminary investigation indicates the man had “a medical emergency” while working, but police could not release the specific cause or the man’s identity.

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Fatal Car Accident On Baltimore Washington Parkway

An early-morning accident has left at least one person dead.

At least one person is dead after an early-morning accident along Baltimore Washington Parkway in Laurel on Monday. According to reports, the accident happened shortly before 4 a.m. near the Route 197 exit. According to reports, a vehicle somehow turned over during the incident and one fatality was reported. All lanes along the parkway were subsequently shut down. Check back with Laurel Patch for updates.

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Charles O'Donnell

5:14 am on Friday, June 3, 2011

This fatal accident occurred on NB BW Pkwy 1000 ft north of the on ramp from 197. The fatal accident the night before occurred approximately 600 ft further north.   more ›

UPDATE: Father, Son killed in I-295 Crash

Two men killed in Sunday morning crash identified as father and son, according to reports.

The two men killed along a stretch of Baltimore-Washington Parkway early Sunday morning have been identified as a 67-year-old father and his 38-year-old son, the Washington Post reports. According to U.S. Park Police, the two men were traveling in the southbound lanes of the parkway north of Route 197 when their vehicle crossed the median and struck two vehicles traveling in the northbound lanes shortly after 1 a.m.  Jae B. Ro and his son, Young H. Ro, both of Herndon, were pronounced dead on the scene. Another victim was airlifted to a local hospital.