On August 31, 2016, St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office deputies and detectives from the Criminal Investigation Division responded to a 911 call for a possible overdose at a location in California, Maryland where Barbara Ann Sneden, age 31, was found unresponsive and pronounced deceased.
Detectives from the Vice/Narcotics Division continued the investigation to determine the cause of death and if it was, in fact, drug-related and to determine who may have supplied the drugs which killed victim Sneden. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Maryland ruled the death “Heroin Intoxication.”
Vice/Narcotics detectives developed a suspect and began to work with partners in the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office in an attempt to obtain additional suspect and case information. On September 30, 2016, detectives from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Vice/Narcotics Division accompanied Calvert County detectives during the execution of a search and seizure warrant in Dowell, Maryland. Suspect Mark Steven Garner II, age 27, of Prince Frederick, was on the scene and in possession of uniquely packaged heroin. Vice/Narcotics detectives recognized that the particular packaging material and technique used by the dealer [Garner II] matched the heroin which caused the death of Victim Sneden.
Detectives gathered additional evidence in the forms of witness statements, video surveillance, and digital evidence, which led to the case being presented to State’s Attorney Richard D. Fritz for review. State’s Attorney Fritz authorized charges against Garner for “Murder in the Second Degree, Depraved Heart” and “Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin." Suspect Garner was served his arrest warrant in the Calvert County Detention Center, where he is being held on unrelated charges.
The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Vice/Narcotics Division would like to thank our partners including the Walden Treatment Centers and the Calvert County Sheriff's Office for their collaboration on this case.
Further, we send our sincere thanks to the Sneden family for their support, cooperation, and patience throughout the course of this investigation.
Inquiries should be directed to Captain Daniel D. Alioto, Commander of Vice/Narcotics, at 301-475-4200, ext. *1918.
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| Mark Steven Garner II |
