Husband Charged With Killing Wife Inside Hanover Dunkin Donuts On The Run
HANOVER, Md. (WJZ) -- A man murdered his wife inside a Dunkin Donuts in Anne Arundel County. Now police are searching for the suspect.
Tracey Leong explains what happened.
Both the husband and wife were Dunkin Donuts employees. Police are now asking for the public's help to track down the husband, who is considered dangerous.
Overnight, the Dunkin Donuts in Hanover turned into a gruesome crime scene.
21-year-old Palak Bhadreskumar Patel was found beaten to death inside the Dunkin Donuts kitchen. Police say her husband is the suspect, 24-year-old Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel.
"We are treating this as domestic-related, not random. Again, they were husband and wife and lived together in the area here," said Justin Mulcahy, Anne Arundel County police.
The call to police came in around 11 p.m. Sunday when a customer noticed no employees at the Dunkin Donuts on Arundel Mills Boulevard.
"We have officers that work in this area. One of the officers came to the business and found the victim," Mulcahy said.
Police are not saying what Patel used to kill his wife but they say after he struck her multiple times, he left the scene on foot.
The victim's family was seen entering the Dunkin Donuts.
Now the focus is on finding the suspect.
"Our message to the public: we've released his photo out there. If you know where he is, call us," Mulcahy said.
Police say Patel is facing first and second degree murder charges. Anyone who knows his whereabouts is asked to call police. Metro Crime Stoppers is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the suspect.
Dunkin Donuts issued a statement about the incident:
We are aware of the tragic incident that occurred at the Dunkin' Donuts / Baskin-Robbins combination restaurant on Arundel Mills Boulevard in Hanover, Maryland. All of us at Dunkin' Brands are saddened to learn of the death of crew member Palak Bhadreskumar Patel, and our thoughts go out to her family and friends. The franchise owner is cooperating fully with the local authorities in their investigation. As this is a pending police matter, it is inappropriate for us to comment further.