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DNA Evidence Lands Arsonist Behind Bars For Triple Murder In Maryland, Police Say

A suspicious fire that resulted in the grisly deaths of three people led to the apprehension of a Maryland man who is facing murder, arson, and other charges, authorities announced on Tuesday.

Michael Anthony Swann

Michael Anthony Swann

Photo Credit: Aberdeen Police Department
John Claytor, Melissa Williams, and Talaya Wiley.

John Claytor, Melissa Williams, and Talaya Wiley.

Photo Credit: Aberdeen Police Department
Aberdeen fire on Roosevelt Avenue.

Aberdeen fire on Roosevelt Avenue.

Photo Credit: Aberdeen Fire Department, Inc.

Michael Anthony Swann, 35, has been identified and charged for the triple homicide on April 15 that took the lives of Aberdeen residents John C. Claytor, 54, Talaya D. Wiley, 48, and Melissa L. Williams, 45.

According to the Aberdeen Police Department, shortly after 5:30 a.m. on Monday, April 15, officers were called to the unit block of Roosevelt Avenue after being alerted by the fire department about the suspicious circumstances surrounding the three people who were found inside.

"Once officers were inside the apartment, it was evident that one male and two females were deceased, suffering from traumatic injuries consistent with a homicide," police said at the time.

On April 30, officials announced that Swann had been identified as a person of interest, and it was later determined that he was wanted for an attempted murder in connection to a February shooting in Prince George's County.

He was also wanted for a federal parole violation.

Swann was located at an apartment on Pritchard Avenue on Tuesday, April 23, and he was taken into custody by police after a brief standoff for his multiple warrants and transported to the Harford County Detention Center and held without bond.

According to court documents, Swann has a lengthy criminal history that dates back more than a decade.

Over the weekend, police say that DNA evidence collected at the scene of the fatal fire linked Swann to the murders, and he was charged later that day with: 

  • First- and second-degree murder;
  • First- and second-degree arson;
  • Reckless endangerment;
  • "Multiple other (offenses)." 

Investigators also made note that at the time of the murders, Swann was prohibited from possessing firearms due to his criminal past. 

Swann remains held at the Harford County Detention Center as of April 30. 

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