Anne Arundel police: Skull belonged to female homicide victim

A skull found behind a Pasadena shopping center belonged to a woman who was the victim of a homicide, Anne Arundel County police said Thursday.

Officials are working to identify the woman, who they say was approximately 18 to 20 years old, but preliminarily have ruled her death a homicide. They say she died from trauma to the upper body.

The woman is believed to have been dead for “at least a few months,” county police spokesman Justin Mulcahy said.

A person walking in a wooded area behind Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, in the 8100 block of Ritchie Highway, discovered a human skull Monday and reported it to police. Investigators conducted a search of the area using cadaver dogs and located remaining body parts a short distance away, Mr. Mulcahy said.

Maryland’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which conducted the autopsy, described the woman as white, 5-feet-6-inches tall, with brown hair.

The woman’s description does not match any missing persons reports filed in Anne Arundel County so the police department is reaching out to other surrounding jurisdictions in hopes of identifying the woman, Mr. Mulcahy said.

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