Crime & Safety
Victims Identified, Cause Remains Unknown in Fatal Crash on Holly Grove Road
Two died after vehicle struck a tree last Saturday morning; police continue to investigate.
Montgomery County Police have identified two victims of a fatal vehicle collision that happened in the early morning hours last Saturday on the 15700 block of Holly Grove Road in the Cloverly area, while the cause of the crash remains unknown.
The victims have been identified as 27-year old Daniel John Baker, the driver; of the 13000 block of Cedar Creek Lane in Silver Spring; and passenger Richard Franklin Scotton II, age 26, of the 12000 block of Theresa Drive in Silver Spring. The two were found dead in the vehicle, a Subaru, after it struck a tree on the passenger side and at some point caught fire.
Officers from the 4th District, along with Fire & Rescue responded to a report of an auto fire on Holly Grove Road at about 12:22 a.m. on Saturday, August 13. Units first arriving on the scene reported that the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The driver and passenger in the front seat were found dead inside. Their bodies were transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for autopsy.
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While reasons remain unknown, preliminary investigations by the police Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) have found that the silver, 2002 Subaru was traveling north on Holly Grove Road. The car left the right side of the roadway, began to rotate counterclockwise and struck a tree on vehicle's passenger side.
Circumstances surrounding this crash remain under investigation. Investigators ask anyone who witnessed the collision to contact the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 301-840-2435.