Montgomery County man accused of killing wife, telling police he found her dead
NORTH KENSINGTON, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - A Montgomery County man killed his wife and attempted to cover it up, according to police.
Reginald Dunlap Jr. is now charged with first-degree murder after his wife, Lauren Charles, was found dead Sunday inside the couple’s home on the 11600 block of College View Drive in North Kensington.
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According to court documents, Dunlap called 911 Sunday afternoon, claiming he’d gotten back from church and found Charles dead.
When police entered the home, they said they smelled bleach immediately, saw blood on Dunlap’s hand, and also blood all over the master bedroom, where Charles was found.
The room had been ransacked, apparently after Charles had already been injured and bleeding, and in addition to the bleach, detectives said they found empty packaging from paper towels and also a scrub brush that was still wet.
Dunlap would later tell police he and his wife were potentially on the verge of separating even though he didn’t want to split up, according to charging documents, which also stated police found no signs of forced entry at the home.
Neighbors in the typically quiet neighborhood told FOX 5 they were shocked.
"I think this just goes to show that really you never know what’s going on in your neighbors' houses and that it can happen anywhere," Courtney Patterson said Monday. "The police came by and asked questions, they asked if we’d ever heard or saw anything up there and we really hadn’t. It was very surprising."
Chairman and CEO Roger Krone of Leidos, an engineering company that Charles worked for, issued the following statement, expressing their condolenes to her friends and family.
"We are stunned and saddened by this loss. We are working with local authorities to provide any assistance we can offer. For more than six years, Lauren worked diligently for our company, performing important work in support of our customers. She was a talented individual with a bright future and will be missed. Our thoughts are with Lauren’s family and friends during this difficult time."
Dunlap was arrested and is being held in the Montgomery County Central Processing Facility without bond, according to police.