CHEVERLY, MD – After nearly three decades of uncertainty, investigators have finally identified the man responsible for the 1998 murder of 50-year-old Sheryl Crandell inside her office at Prince George’s Hospital Center.
Police said the suspect, Baari Shabazz, died in 2019 at the age of 69.
The breakthrough came through investigative genetic genealogy, a method that has helped close numerous cold cases nationwide.
Key Points
- Investigators identified Baari Shabazz as the suspect in the 1998 murder of Sheryl Crandell.
- Genetic genealogy led to the discovery after a renewed investigation in 2021.
- Shabazz lived about a mile from the hospital where the victim worked; the motive remains unknown.
DNA technology provides long-awaited answer
On January 13, 1998, Crandell was found dead in her Family Health Center office around 8:30 p.m. by a maintenance worker. An autopsy revealed she had been strangled and sexually assaulted. Despite a broad investigation, detectives at the time were unable to find a suspect.
The case went cold for more than two decades until December 2021, when Prince George’s County Police Cold Case Unit detectives obtained court approval to use genetic genealogy. Working with the FBI’s Baltimore Investigative Genetic Genealogy Team, investigators began tracing DNA evidence collected from the crime scene.
FBI and local detectives trace DNA to deceased suspect
After months of analysis, the FBI team matched the genetic material to Shabazz in late October. Officials said he had lived about one mile from the Cheverly hospital at the time of the murder.
There is no evidence indicating that Crandell and Shabazz knew each other, and investigators have not determined a motive.
Police seek public input despite case closure
Although the suspect is deceased, police are encouraging anyone with information about Shabazz’s background or possible connections to other crimes to contact the Prince George’s County Police Homicide Unit at 301-516-2512.
Anonymous tips can be shared through the Crime Solvers website, the “P3 Tips” mobile app, or by calling 1-866-411-TIPS. Detectives ask callers to refer to case number 98-013-1118.
A family’s decades-long wait for justice ends
Crandell’s murder shocked hospital staff and the Cheverly community in 1998. The new DNA match brings long-awaited closure to her family and colleagues who endured years of unanswered questions. Police said the investigation represents another example of how emerging technology can help deliver justice even decades after a crime.
