Body Identified as Glen Burnie Teen Who Killed Stepsister: Update

UPDATED at 5:15 p.m. GLEN BURNIE, MD — A body found in area woods by police officers searching for an 18-year-old from Glen Burnie accused of stabbing his younger stepsister and stepbrother — one fatally during a dispute at their home — has been identified as homicide suspect Andres Rafael Quintana Garcia, police say.

Investigators say Garcia had been dead for a period of time and evidence at the scene showed he may have taken his own life. His body will be taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine the exact cause and manner of death.

Authorities say Garcia's 10-year-old stepsister was killed Monday and his 13-year-old stepbrother was injured with a stab wound. Homicide detectives don't plan to release the names of Garcia's younger siblings since they are juveniles, a police spokesman told Patch.

Garcia, 18, of the 6400 block of Roots Drive in Glen Burnie, was sought on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and reckless endangerment in the girl's death.

On Tuesday, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on the girl and ruled the cause of death was multiple stab/cut wounds, with the manner being homicide.

A vigil was held Thursday night in the 6400 block of Roots Drive in Glen Burnie, near the crime scene, to pray for the family of the victims.

The victims and suspect are family members, and this was obviously not a random act, said police spokesman Lt. Ryan Frashure. "This was a family argument inside the house that quickly escalated from verbal to physical, to deadly," Frashure said.

Authorities say Garcia stabbed both children about 7:42 p.m. Monday at a residence in the 6400 block of Roots Drive in Glen Burnie. The girl was taken to Baltimore Washington Medical Center, where she later died from her injuries, according to police. The boy was taken to Johns Hopkins Pediatric Hospital and released Thursday, the Capital-Gazette reports.

Anne Arundel County Police quickly named Garcia as the suspect in the stabbings, and had been searching for him since he fled the home Monday night. Investigators believed that Garcia remained in the Glen Burnie area after the attacks. The newspaper reports that authorities have seized Garcia's passport and placed him on a no-fly list.

Police established a command center in the 6700 block of Ritchie Highway, and search teams from around the state and region responded. The search teams were made up mostly of volunteers, but law enforcement entities from the state also participated. The search teams consisted of manned search teams, canine search teams and also equestrian teams, authorities said.

Garcia's family had moved to Anne Arundel County in recent months from northern Virginia; police have also talked to family members there.

Garcia has also been charged with attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment in the attack on his stepbrother.

The girl's body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of her death. This is the 11th homicide in Anne Arundel County this year, police said.

Even with the suspect's death, Anne Arundel County Police ask anyone with information to call the Homicide Unit at 410-222-4731. Someone in the community may have information as to why this tragic incident unfolded, authorities said.

If people with information wish to remain anonymous, they can also contact the Anne Arundel County Police Tip Line 410-222-4700 or Metro Crime Stoppers.

»Photos of homicide suspect Andres Rafael Quintana Garcia and from vigil, courtesy of Anne Arundel County Police