Anne Arundel County homicide detectives fear that an Annapolis woman who may have witnessed the fatal stabbing of Denise McAteer on Tuesday may be in danger, police said yesterday.
Wanda Rebecca Hall, 31, whose last known address was in the 1000 block of Bay Ridge Road, has not been seen since Tuesday, said Sgt. Rick Tabor, head of Anne Arundel County's homicide unit.
Sergeant Tabor said homicide detectives believe that Ms. Hall witnessed the slaying of Ms. McAteer, whose fully clothed body was found Tuesday afternoon near some woods in the 300 block of Dubois Road, just outside Annapolis. Ms. McAteer, 32, of the first block of Southgate Ave. in Annapolis, died of multiple stab wounds.
Richard Edward Janey, 30, was arrested at an address in the first block of Clay Court Wednesday by Annapolis city police, after county homicide detectives told them Mr. Janey was a suspect in the slaying.
Mr. Janey, who has been charged with first-degree murder, is being held without bail at the Anne Arundel County Detention Center.
Officer Richard Kelley of the Annapolis Police Department found Mr. Janey with help from confidential informants. Officer Kelley also had been looking for Ms. Hall because she is wanted for questioning by county police.
"We're definitely in fear for her life and fear something may have happened to her as a result of being a witness to the homicide," Sergeant Tabor said.
Mr. Janey had been serving a six- month work-release sentence for a July assault on Ms. McAteer, whom he had dated. Police said Ms. McAteer was beaten so badly in one assault that one of her teeth was knocked out.
Mr. Janey was sentenced Sept. 16. On Oct. 11, he failed to return from his work-release job and was at large when Officer Kelley arrested him Wednesday morning.
James O'Neill, deputy superintendent at the Detention Center, said it is fairly common for inmates not to return from a work-release assignment.
"We have several a month," Mr. O'Neill said. "We have over 150 inmates on the work-release program."
Mr. O'Neill said no inmate who left while on work release has committed a serious crime.
Ms. Hall is a white female who also is known as Wanda Sherbert Hall. She is 5 feet 3 inches and weighs 115 pounds. She has green eyes and shoulder-length blond hair. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is urged to call Anne Arundel County police at 222-8619 or Sergeant Tabor at 222-3456.