Anne Arundel County residents were shocked to learn that human remains were found in a burned vehicle in a parking lot last weekend.
Police continue to investigate after responding to a fully engulfed vehicle fire outside the Tropic Bay Aquatic Garden Center on West Central Avenue in Davidsonville. Once the fire was put out, the remains were located on the passenger side, according to police.
“My wife called and asked me if I heard what happened. I was just shocked,” said Davidsonville resident Pete Best. “It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing that would happen in a small town.”
Anne Arundel County police are calling this a suspicious death investigation. The body was taken to the medical examiner for an autopsy and identification.
“That certainly changed our investigation from what appeared to be an initial vehicle fire to a suspicious death investigation,” said Anne Arundel County police spokesperson Justin Mulcahy. “That’s where we’re at right now.”
Unsettling discovery
The circumstances are chilling and unsettling for residents. Best said he was playing a gig at the restaurant next door to Tropic Bay at the time of the discovery.
“These kinds of things happen on TV, and then you go, ‘Wow, I can’t believe it’s right around the corner,” Best said. “It kind of puts you on your heels a little bit for sure.”
The Anne Arundel County Fire and Explosives Investigations Unit is looking into the cause of the vehicle fire while detectives work to piece together who the victim is and how they ended up in that burning car.
Mulcahy hopes witnesses or surveillance video will help crack the case.
“We’re going to talk to anybody who may have frequented that business,” Mulcahy said. “Anybody in the area of that business within the 24 hours leading up to this incident – if you have information, reach out to us. Certainly, any surveillance footage would be part of the investigation as well, or anything we can gather to assist our case right now.”
Anne Arundel County murders
As of Friday, May 23, police have responded to six homicide victims in Anne Arundel County in 2025, according to the Anne Arundel County crime data. There were two at this point in 2024.
Police investigated 10 total homicides in Anne Arundel County last year.
