Sheriff: Man charged in deaths of girl, 6, and her mother

LEXINGTON PARK, Md. (AP) — Authorities in southern Maryland say that a man has been charged in the deaths of a 6-year-old girl and her 37-year-old mother.

NBC Washington reported Friday that Lyneasha Justice Greenwell and her mother, Martina Patterson, were reported missing on Wednesday from their home in Lexington Park in St. Mary’s County.

They were later found buried in a shallow grave, authorities said.

The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office said authorities have charged Wayne Carroll Key Jr., 42, of Great Mills, with two counts of first-degree murder and related charges.

Citing a court document, NBC Washington reported that Key and Patterson have another younger child in common together, who is safe.

The court document also said that Key had previously threatened to kill Patterson.

It’s unclear if Key has hired an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Patterson’s mother, Margaret Proctor, told the station that the killings are “terrible.”

Proctor said that “nobody should take nobody’s life the way they took my daughter and my granddaughter… she was just the most beautiful angel in the world.”