PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — Who did it? While questions still linger surrounding the murder of a 50-year-old woman, who was killed in 1998 at Prince George’s Hospital Center, where she worked, the biggest one has been answered.
The suspect was revealed during a Nov. 10 news conference in Prince George’s County.
On Jan. 13, 1998, around 8:30 p.m., a maintenance employee found Sheryl Crandell dead in her Family Health Center office. An autopsy report confirmed her death was a homicide and the cause of death was strangulation. The investigation also revealed that Crandell was raped before she died, and DNA collected from the sexual assault would later prove vital in identifying the suspect.
Retired homicide detective Bernard Nelson said he’s worked on hundreds of cases during his 30-plus years of service, but Crandell’s case was always a top priority.
“I’ve always said that this is one case that I want to close before I retire — I missed by about seven months,” Nelson said.
For more than 27 years, this case was left unresolved.
Early in the investigation, detectives suspected the murder began as an attempted theft at the hospital before escalating when the opportunity presented itself.
In one of her last emails, Crandell highlighted the need to address the hospital thefts, even suggesting that somebody would inevitably get hurt, Nelson said. Her warning became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Despite an extensive investigation at the time, no arrests were made in the immediate aftermath of her murder.
PGPD Cold Case Unit detectives obtained permission from the courts to utilize genetic genealogy in connection with this case in December 2021.
It wasn’t until years later that investigators were able to narrow down the suspect. Through the use of genetic genealogy and collaboration with the FBI Baltimore’s Investigative Genetic Genealogy Team, genealogists were able to create a family tree from DNA collected, slowly narrowing it until detectives became confident in the suspect in late October.
Baari Shabazz, a man with a criminal history of attempted rape and multiple thefts, came back as the one responsible for Crandell’s murder. His history of stealing aligns with the theory that the incident began as an attempted theft.
Shabazz died in 2019 at 69 years old — a frustrating revelation for investigators and family who will never seen him brought to justice.
“I’m very happy that we have closure,” said Nelson. “I’m just upset that it took so long. 27 — almost 28 — years that it took to close this. I’m upset that he’s deceased because I wanted to try and get more answers through interviewing him. But I’m also upset that he’s not going to be punished.”
At this time, there is no known connection between the victim and suspect. He lived approximately one mile from the hospital back in 1998.
The official motive for the murder is unknown.
“Her reward poster was always at my desk, it was always posted on my desk, during that entire time, ever since 1998,” Nelson said. “So it was always on my mind. And the reason is that it was such a shock to the community at that time. Sheryl was working in a place where she was supposed to be safe, in a hospital, where they preserve lives.”