
A family is fighting to gain custody of four children after their mother, a Mundelein native, was murdered by a gunman at her Maryland home as her children hid inside the residence.
The Frederick County, Maryland Sheriff’s Office said Crimea Malita Baker, 33, of New Market, Maryland, and Sean Antoine Lange, 34, of Arlington, Virginia, were both found dead in a home in the 7000 block of Mangalong Court in New Market, Maryland.
Sheriff’s deputies were called to the residence around 7 a.m. on August 25 for a report of a shooting.
Deputies found Baker and Lange deceased from multiple gunshot wounds, the sheriff’s office said. They were found in an upstairs bedroom.
A preliminary investigation showed the victims were shot around 1:30 a.m. that day, nearly six hours after deputies were notified.
At least 42 shots were fired by the suspect or suspects, who were inside the home when the shooting occurred.
The sheriff’s office said Baker’s four children, one of whom Lange was the father of, were found inside the home unharmed.
The children hid inside the home for hours until they came out when they felt safe and found the bodies.
Sheriff Chuck Jenkins called the incident a “heinous targeted double murder, a crime of rage and anger.”
“This is the type of crime that shocks the conscience of Frederick County residents. There is absolutely no reason to believe there is any risk or threat to the local public at large,” Jenkins said.
“I can assure the public that every available investigator and agency resource will be brought to bear in this case until the person(s) responsible are identified, arrested, and brought to justice,” he added.
A family friend of Baker told Lake and McHenry County Scanner this week that the woman grew up in Mundelein and graduated from Mundelein High School before later moving to Maryland.
The slain woman’s mother and father are now fighting to gain custody of Baker’s young children, who are ages 11, 10, 9 and 7 months old. The family said they have not been able to begin processing the “tremendous loss” yet because of the custody battle.
Baker had sole legal and physical custody of the children at the time of her death.
The family created a GoFundMe account to raise funds to continue paying for an attorney in the custody battle. The funds will also be used for the children’s care and needs.
Detectives have not announced any suspects in the case but said they believe it was a targeted killing.
Last week, the sheriff’s office said they were seeking surveillance video from area residents to aid in the investigation.