Son accused of killing 81-year-old mother in quiet Maryland suburb
GAITHERSBURG, MD – A Derwood man has been charged with first-degree murder after police say he killed his 81-year-old mother and dumped her body along a roadside with help from his roommate.
The investigation began Friday evening around 6:30 p.m., when officers were called to a home on the 18600 block of Muncaster Road to investigate a report of a missing woman. That woman was Victoria Ellen Shay, who lived in the home with her son, 60-year-old Daniel Paul Shay, and his roommate, 59-year-old Dwayne Anthony Embrey.
When police arrived at the residence, they said evidence suggested a crime had occurred inside the house. Daniel Shay claimed he had not seen his mother in four days and had no knowledge of her whereabouts.
Homicide detectives took over the case, and within hours, uncovered information pointing to the location of Victoria Shay’s body. It was found discarded in a wooded area near Route 124 and Brink Road. A search warrant executed at the residence revealed more evidence, though officials have not released specific details.
Victoria Shay’s body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for autopsy. Her death is being investigated as a homicide, though the exact cause of death has not yet been publicly disclosed.
On Saturday, detectives secured a warrant charging Daniel Shay with first-degree murder. Embrey, the roommate, is accused of assisting in the disposal of the body and was charged as an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. He was arrested Sunday and is being held at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit.
No motive has been released, and the investigation remains ongoing.
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Key Points
- Daniel Shay, 60, charged with first-degree murder of his 81-year-old mother in Derwood
- Roommate Dwayne Embrey, 59, arrested as accessory for allegedly helping to dispose of the body
- Body found near Route 124 and Brink Road after missing person report prompted police search
