Girl, stepfather killed in murder-suicide in Landover, police say
A girl and her stepfather both died in a murder-suicide on Wednesday, Prince George’s police said.
Police said officers responded to the 6900 block of Stansbury Lane in Landover about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday for a report of a shooting. Police found 11-year-old Mailyn Turkes and 38-year-old Curtis Lynch, of Landover, with gunshot wounds inside the home. Both died at the scene, police said. Lynch was Mailyn’s stepfather, police said.
A woman, who is related to both victims, was also shot in the residence and is in critical but stable condition, police said. She was rushed to a hospital for emergency treatment, police said. Both shootings took place inside the home, police said.
Police believe that Lynch shot the woman and Mailyn before killing himself but say a motive is still under investigation.
Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz said that Mailyn was a future bright star” who “should be here with us now.”
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Mailyn did not deserve this,” Aziz said. The adult female did not deserve this. The families that are involved did not deserve this.”
Aziz did not say what the relationship between Lynch and the woman was or say what led to the shooting. Police initially said Mailyn was 10 but later said she was 11. Last year in Prince George’s County, Aziz said, there were 26 homicides involving family members.
Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D) called Mailyn “a beautiful” member of the community and said her death was “very tragic.”
“All of us are very heartbroken, to say the least,” Alsobrooks said. “The saddest day we experience in our community is upon the death of a child.”
She also said the incident was part of a growing epidemic of domestic and family-related violence. Alsobrooks said that six of the 11 homicides in the county in 2024 have been related to domestic violence.
“A lot about the health of our community is how we treat our children and how our children are faring,” she said. “In this instance and too many instances, we are seeing the death of our children in ways that are heartbreaking and have to be stopped.”
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