On March 28 at 1:37 p.m., officers responded to the Super 8 motel in the 3500 block of Crain Highway in Waldorf, for the report of a death investigation.
A preliminary investigation revealed a motel employee entered the room to check on the occupants who were scheduled to check out earlier in the day. Upon entering the room, a man and a woman were found deceased.
The male was later identified as Robert Ralph Russell, Jr., 47, of King George, VA. The woman was identified as Rachel Rae Africa, 39, of Waldorf.
An autopsy was performed on March 29 at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore. Africa’s death was ruled a homicide and Russell’s death was ruled a suicide.
Detectives are working to establish a motive; however, there was recent history of domestic violence in which Russell was charged with assaulting Africa on March 23. He was arrested but released on personal recognizance on March 25.
Russell was arrested on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, for False Imprisonment, Second Degree Assault, Theft: $100 to under $1,500, and Theft: $1,500 to Under $25,000., and was held on a no bond status, he was released within 24 hours on his personal recognizance on Wednesday, March 25, 2020.
Anyone with additional information is asked to call Detective J. Long at (301) 609-6502.
Updates will be provided when they become available.
