A Maryland man has been arrested and charged with the murder of a local teacher, as per recent police reports. Mariame Sylla, a 59-year-old teacher at Dora Kennedy French Immersion School in Prince George’s County, was reported missing in late July by a close family friend. Sylla was last seen on July 29, taking an evening stroll in Greenbelt and never returned home.
On August 1, a local resident reported to the Prince George’s County Police Department about the discovery of potential human remains in Clinton. The dismembered remains were later confirmed to be Sylla’s through DNA testing.
The investigation led to the identification of Harold Francis Landon III, a 33-year-old resident of University Park, as a suspect in Sylla’s murder. Police reports indicate that Landon was present in the park at the time of Sylla’s disappearance and was later identified through his vehicle. Landon was charged with first-degree murder on Friday and is expected to make his first court appearance soon.
The legal representation for Landon is currently unknown. He has been in the custody of the Department of Corrections since August 1 on an unrelated assault charge. According to the police, there seems to be no previous connection between Landon and Sylla.
The motive behind the murder is still being investigated. Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz commented, “I just think we have a person who decided to go out and commit a horrific crime.” An autopsy is being conducted to determine Sylla’s cause of death, and investigators are working to establish the location and time of her murder.
Sylla’s disappearance led to community-wide searches and prayer vigils in the weeks following her disappearance. Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks expressed her condolences to Sylla’s students and the community, stating, “To have a beloved member of our community taken away from us in this way is just so devastating.”