Harford County (Map, News) - Harford County suffered its second homicide in two weeks and its third for the year with the discovery of an unidentified man’s corpse Saturday night in the Keyser Motel just outside Aberdeen.

Harford County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the motel in the 1300 block of Route 40 — known in that area as South Philadelphia Road — at about 11:36 p.m. for a motel resident’s report of a burglary and a request to check the welfare of another motel occupant, said police spokeswoman Sgt. Christina Presberry.

Upon arrival, deputies noticed that the door to the motel room was ajar and inside they found the body of a 26-year-old male who had suffered trauma to his upper torso, Presberry said. Police identified the victim, but did not release his name Sunday pending the notification of his family.

“When you get people who stay at these types of hotels, they could be from Utah or they could be from Washington, D.C.,” Presberry said, predicting that it could take some time to find the victim’s next of kin.

The Keyser Motel is often home to transients and is “not the type of place where you’d take your kids and family,” she said.

Investigators at the scene decided the death was likely a homicide, and sent the body to the Office of the State Medical Examiner to determine the exact cause and manner of death.

Investigators could not determine if anything had been stolen from the motel room, Presberry said.

The motel death marks Harford’s third homicide in 2007 and comes one week after 25-year-old Samuel David Horne was shot and killed in Edgewood, further south along the Route 40 corridor.

Police have not yet identified a suspect in the latest killing.

msantoni@baltimoreexaminer.com

Comments from Examiner Readers

7:06 PM MST on Mon., Aug. 20, 2007 re: "Body found in Route 40 motel"

Jesse said:
To the first commenter, 911 is anything but anonymous. Not only is your number available, there is a tape held for at least 90 days of your conversation. In fact, in Baltimore City at least, to request a 911 tape, you give them the phone number that called in. A phone number can be cross-referenced. Now, I am not saying that people shouldn't do the right thing, I am just clarifying that 911 is non anonymous. I do believe that Harford County has an anonymous crime stoppers line. Or, if you call 911, the chances of that ever coming back to you and the State of Maryland calling you as a prosecution witness are probably nil.

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11:15 AM MST on Mon., Aug. 20, 2007 re: "Body found in Route 40 motel"

Examiner Reader said:
Nice...I'm glad that there's hotels that still cater to the under-served homeless and transient populace. NOT!

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10:14 AM MST on Mon., Aug. 20, 2007 re: "Body found in Route 40 motel"

Examiner Reader said:
Again, motives are stemming from drugs in this area. 911, is anonymous. Step up, Turn in the dealers, hookers and take back our streets.

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