Daughter, granddaughter accused of grilling, dismembering woman’s remains

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. — Two women were arrested after another woman’s body was found decomposing in a basement of a house in Hyattsville, Maryland, police say.

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Prince George’s County Police Department said in a news release that Margaret Craig, 71, was killed on May 23 by her daughter, Candace Craig 44. They say the day after, Salia Hardy, 19, helped her mother try to get rid of Margaret Craig’s remains.

According to charging documents obtained by WRC-TV, Hardy reportedly told officials that her mother, Candace Craig, had attacked Margaret Craig after she had threatened to report her credit card fraud. The day after the attack, Hardy found her grandmother’s remains inside a bin in her bedroom.

Investigators say that Candace Craig and Hardy dismembered the woman with a chainsaw and then allegedly tried to burn her remains on a grill in the backyard of the house, according to charging documents obtained by the news outlet.

Someone reported on May 27, four days later, that they saw a brush fire by a house and allegedly saw Candace Craig and her daughter “in the wood line burning what they believed to be human remains,” according to court documents obtained by The Washington Post.

Ten days later, officers went out to the house in Hyattsville for a welfare check on June 2 just after 1:30 p.m. A relative called 911 saying he could not reach Margaret Craig for a few days and was worried about her, according to the news release.

Police say, Candace Craig opened the door and allowed officers to search for Margaret Craig.

When officers made their way to the basement of the house, they immediately could smell decomposition, police said, according to WJLA. They found three plastic trash bags with human remains inside.

According to court documents obtained by the news outlet, officers found a chainsaw cover, cutting utensils, cleaning materials, and blood splatter in the basement where the remains were found inside the basement.

The remains were identified in the court documents obtained by WJLA as Margaret Craig.

Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy said at a news conference following the bail review Monday that the case was “unlike any” she has seen, according to the Post.

“To say it’s disturbing is an understatement,” Braveboy said, according to the Post.

Police say Candace Craig has been charged with first and second-degree murder. Hardy has been charged with accessory after the fact.

Candace Craig is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on July 3, according to WJLA. She and Hardy are both being held without bond, according to Braveboy on Facebook.

Investigators are still working to determine the motive, according to the news outlet.