Watch CBS News

Woman found dead in cab of truck, driver charged with murder in Frederick County

Woman found dead in cab of truck, driver charged with murder in Frederick County
Woman found dead in cab of truck, driver charged with murder in Frederick County 00:51

BALTIMORE -- A truck driver from New Jersey is facing murder charges after a woman was found dead in the cab of his tractor-trailer on Sunday in Frederick County.

Matthew Sidney Watley, 46, has been arrested and charged with first and second-degree murder.

Around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, deputies with the Frederick County Sheriff's Office were called to the Costco Distribution Center, on Intercostal Drive, in Monrovia, Maryland for a welfare check. The caller told officers the truck driver appeared to be under the influence and had broken out the window of the truck.

UPDATE # 2: The victim from the Sept. 24, homicide at the Costco Distribution Center in Monrovia, Maryland, is Candice...

Posted by Frederick County Sheriff's Office, MD - Integrity Driven • Community Built on Sunday, September 24, 2023

The truck driver, identified as Watley, was argumentative and did not want to speak to deputies.

Deputies learned the he was under the influence, and to keep the community safe, they placed spike stop strips in the front and back of the tractor. 

The driver attempted to take off but struck the stop sticks and went on a slow-speed pursuit inside the secure area of the Costco Distribution lot, deputies said.

The driver stopped but refused to get out of the truck, and he continued to be confrontational. Deputies deployed OC spray through his open window, and deputies broke a window and entered the cab, pulled out their taser and detained him

Deputies then found a dead woman, identified as 46-year-old Candice Thompson, from New Jersey, on the floorboard of the truck.

Watley was taken to Frederick Health Hospital for medical evaluation before he was taken to the Frederick County Adult Detention Center.

Anyone with information should call the Frederick County Sheriff's Office at 301-600-1046 or FCSOtips@frederickcountymd.gov or call 301-600-4131.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.