Body found along Maryland highway has similar characteristics to missing woman, police say
A body found off U.S. Route 50 in Annapolis last weekend has similar characteristics to a 19-year-old woman who disappeared from Prince George's County, according to police.
Police have been searching for 19-year-old Dacara Thompson since she was reported missing on August 23.
On Sunday, August 31, state police recovered a woman's body in a grassy area next to a disabled vehicle off the eastbound lanes of U.S. Route 50 in Annapolis.
Troopers said the vehicle does not belong to the woman and is not related to the investigation.
An autopsy is being conducted to identify the woman and determine how she died. State police said its preliminary investigation revealed possible ties to an ongoing missing persons report in Prince George's County.
"We have not yet confirmed that this is the missing, I want to make that very clear, but the characteristics are similar," Prince George's County Police Chief George Nadar said.
Anyone with information relevant to the death investigation should call the Maryland State Police at 1-866-7LOCKUP or contact the Prince George's County Crime Solvers tip line at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
The search for Dacara Thompson
Dacara Thompson's father, Daniel Thompson, said she left their house in Lanham, Maryland, around 10 p.m. on August 22. He said he last spoke with her over text just before midnight.
"I got gas and I'm out. I should be back soon. I love you too. Goodnight," Daniel Thompson recalls his daughter texting.
That was the last time anyone heard from her.
Dacara Thompson's phone was disconnected from the Find My Phone app, but her parents could see the last location where it had been turned on – at the intersection of Jasmine Terrace and Riggs Road in Hyattsville.
That's where they found Dacara Thompson's car, with her purse inside. Her phone and car key were missing.
"It wouldn't be like her to not to respond to her parents or just disappear for days," her mother Carmen Thompson said.
Surveillance footage from a neighbor showed someone who appears to be Dacara Thompson getting out of an SUV that was parked on Jasmine Terrace, and she was walking toward Riggs Road.
Dacara Thompson's family and loved ones have been tirelessly searching for her ever since.
"I just want my baby back," Carmen Thompson said.
Body recovered from Annapolis creek
In August, an Annapolis community was shaken after a man's body was found in Duvall Creek.
Police said the body of a 51-year-old man was recovered in the Hillsmere Shores community near the creek's kayak launch on August 10.
Maryland Natural Resources Police officers and Anne Arundel County firefighters responded to the scene. Officers said the man's backpack and other personal items were found on shore.
"I think we're all just puzzled and we wish we knew more," said Colleen Foley, who lives near the kayak launch.
Foley told WJZ that neighbors are heartbroken.
"It's just so sad, and the fact that I live directly across the street, it bothered me a lot, just feeling really bad for this man and what he must have been going through. I don't know all the details yet, but it doesn't sound good," Foley said.
Body recovered from Beaver Dam Swim Club
Last month, it took two days for search and rescue crews to recover the body of 36-year-old Michael Randle from the Beaver Dam Swim Club quarry in Baltimore County.
The Baltimore County Fire Department said Randle reportedly was seen struggling in the water and went under, and never came back up.
The search started on Sunday, August 17, and the body was recovered on Tuesday, August 19.
Search crews were assisted by handheld sonar, recovery dogs, divers, and an underwater robot from the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue, BCFD stated.
"I looked around and I saw four separate lifeguards on their way to him, and I was like, 'OK, he's getting saved,'" said witness Josh Bradds. "You could even hear the people sigh when she pulled up. "You thought he was going to get saved, and he never came up."
