Police are searching for a 24-year-old man suspected of killing his wife inside a Dunkin' Donuts store in Hanover, Maryland, where they both worked.
Would-be customers walked up to an Anne Arundel County police officer just before 11 p.m. Sunday to report that no one was inside the Arundel Mills Boulevard business.
The officer went inside the store and found 21-year-old Palak Bhadreshkumar Patel of Hanover lying in the kitchen area. Police say she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Evidence at the scene identified the victim's husband, 24-year-old Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel, as the suspect. Investigators say the Patels worked at the Dunkin' Donuts together.
According to a preliminary investigation, Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel struck his wife multiple times with an object before leaving the area.
Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel has been charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault and dangerous weapon with intent to injure. Anne Arundel County Police released Patel's picture on Twitter early Monday morning. He is considered armed and dangerous.
A statement from Dunkin' Donuts read in part, "All of us at Dunkin' Brands are saddened to learn of the death of crew member Palak Bhadreskumar Patel, and our thoughts go out to her family and friends. The franchise owner is cooperating fully with the local authorities in their investigation."
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