University Park man indicted in gruesome killing of Greenbelt teacher
The University Park, Maryland, man accused of killing a beloved Greenbelt teacher was indicted Thursday.
Harold Landon III, 33, was charged with murder in September in the gruesome slaying of 59-year-old Mariame Toure Sylla.
In her Friday announcement, State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy said Sylla was a beloved and well-admired teacher.
“Ms. Sylla was a cherished teacher, sister, mother and friend. The community’s relentless search for her after her disappearance is a testament to that,” Braveboy said. “We all desperately hoped for a different outcome.”
Landon’s next hearing is Oct. 27.
Sylla went missing near her home in late July. Her partial remains were found on Aug. 1 by a pond near Joint Base Andrews in Clinton. The remains had been decapitated at the collar, missing a neck and head, and bilaterally amputated at both knees and shoulders, charging documents for Landon said.
Charging documents revealed that on July 31, at approximately 9:30 p.m., a witness saw a man in a white pickup truck at the Clinton pond dumping an item where Sylla’s remains would later be found, before cleaning his hands in the pond water. The witness was able to photograph the man and his truck, which Landon later identified as himself during a police interview.
Surveillance footage from the area obtained by police also corroborated the witness’ observations.
Police also said that Landon’s phone records revealed him to have been in the Greenbelt park at the same time Sylla was abducted, and near the Clinton pond at the time her remains had been dumped.
There is no indication that Sylla and Landon knew each other, police said. They are still working to find a motive for the murder and determine where and when Sylla was killed.
Landon had been in police custody since Aug. 1 on an unrelated domestic violence assault charge.
His defense attorney said in September that there’s a “lack of hard evidence” against him.
WTOP’s Dana Sukontarak contributed to this report.