A man is in jail on Monday after Cumberland County deputies charged him with murder in connection with human remains that were found days earlier in the county.
According to the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office, the human remains found on Thursday on Deep Creek Road belonged to Laniyah Danyell Whitted. Deputies said Whitted was reported missing on Nov. 23, 2021, adding that her family has been notified.
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Whitted was 17 when she disappeared.
"While this outcome is heartbreaking, the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office is grateful that Laniyah has been found and identified, allowing her family to finally have answers after years of uncertainty," wrote a spokesperson for the sheriff's office.
Deputies said they arrested Kabron Markell Thaggard, 22, and charged him with first-degree murder and concealment of a body, adding that he is in jail under no bond.
Thaggard is expected to make his first court appearance at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
According to court records, Thaggard is accused in multiple cases from 2025 and has numerous charges that are still pending against him. He is accused of several violent crimes, including multiple instances of armed robbery, vehicle theft, fleeing from authorities, and possessing a firearm with a machine gun conversion device.
Court records showed Thaggard also has a criminal record of violence against women. He pleaded guilty to assault on a female in 2022 as well as pleading guilty to assaulting another woman twice in 2024. In exchange for pleading guilty, he had the more serious felony charges against him dropped, which included second-degree kidnapping and assault by strangulation in one case.
Deputies asked anyone with information related to their investigation to call Lieutenant R. Brinkly at (910) 677-5462.