Marydel, Maryland

Episode 34 / 6 September 2017 / 82 min / full

Death Threats Lead To Murder

"James says they are heading to Marydell, Maryland, on the eastern border of the state where Maryland meets Delaware, and that it is in Caroline County." about 0:04:57

The case: Murder of Lauren Peterson (November 17, 1991). Read the case file.

The figures, as told in 2017

Population

136

Median age

37.4

Median home value

$117,000

Two-bedroom rent

$1,130

Cost of living

91

Religious

34%

Property crime

▲ about a third higher

Violent crime

▲ about a third higher

History, in brief

• Marydel was originally known as Halltown. about 0:06:43
• The Mason-Dixon line runs through Caroline County, and visitors can see the crownstone marking it. about 0:07:30
• The line is named after Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, who were hired to carry out a land survey. about 0:07:45
• The survey was ordered to settle a property dispute between the Penn and Calvert families, not to divide the north from the south. about 0:08:04
• The majority of the Latino population are Guatemalan Maya who speak Mam, a Mayan language with only about 30,000 speakers in the world. about 0:09:15
• In 1996 immigration officers rounded up more than a hundred Guatemalans from a trailer park in the town. about 0:09:53
• Deborah Row, who had been mayor for nine years, was sentenced on July 12th, 2017 to nine years in prison for stealing more than $61,000 in town funds. about 0:10:48
• Row pleaded guilty to a theft scheme, misconduct in office and forgery, had to read a letter of apology to the town and was ordered to pay restitution. about 0:11:07

Open the episode file