Missing landlady’s body found in Carroll

The body of a 71-year-old Chevy Chase woman was found buried beneath a shed in Westminster, Md., yesterday. Joyce Hadl’s decomposing body was found early yesterday morning by investigators at a rural property in the Carroll County town. Police sent it to the state Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore to determine the cause of death.

Susan Sachs, 39, a tenant in Miss Hadl’s home, was charged Monday with first-degree murder after police searched the house and found bloodstains on Miss Hadl’s mattress. Miss Hadl reportedly had tried to evict Miss Sachs a week before, saying she needed psychiatric help.

Police yesterday also arrested two men who authorities think helped with the crime.

Miss Sachs’ boyfriend, Roger Greenberg, 62, of Potomac, was charged with first-degree murder. He was seen loading garbage bags into his car with Miss Sachs and helped her buy cleaning supplies to clean Miss Hadl’s room after the crime, according to charging documents.

David Kaufman, who lived at the Ridge Road address in Westminster where the body was found, was charged as an accessory after the fact to the murder. Mr. Kaufman told investigators that he drove Miss Hadl’s body to his home and buried it beneath the shed in return for $250, the charging documents state.

Both men are scheduled to have bond reviews today. Miss Sachs is being held without bond.

Miss Hadl, a psychiatric social worker, had at least three boarders at her house, including Miss Sachs.

According to charging documents, police were called to the Chevy Chase home Aug. 16 following a dispute between Miss Hadl and Miss Sachs. Miss Hadl told police she wanted Miss Sachs off her property, but Miss Sachs refused to go and police had no authority to remove her. Miss Hadl told officers that Miss Sachs needed “psychiatric help.”

Miss Hadl’s cousin called police Monday after she had missed appointments and did not return phone calls from family members.

Officers searched her house and found an 18-inch bloodstain on her mattress, the sheets were missing and there was a new mattress pad on the bed, charging documents state.

One of Miss Hadl’s other boarders told police he saw Miss Sachs and Mr. Greenberg load several garbage bags into Mr. Greenberg’s Ford Crown Victoria at 3:30 a.m. Saturday, adding that they seemed “suspicious.”

Police found a receipt from a supermarket from the night before for cleaning supplies, and both appeared on the store’s video surveillance tape.

The charging documents say Mr. Greenberg and Miss Sachs were questioned by police when they returned to Miss Hadl’s house Monday evening. Both gave conflicting statements, and Mr. Greenberg had Miss Hadl’s car key, but couldn’t explain why.

Mr. Kaufman is thought to have transported a garbage can, which contained Miss Hadl’s sheet-wrapped body, to his house in Westminster and buried the body. He then dumped the garbage can in a Carroll County landfill.