SUSPECT ARRESTED FOR MURDER OF FREDERICK CO. MAN

(NEW YORK, NY) – An Anne Arundel County man was arrested early this morning at a New York airport after a warrant was issued charging him with the murder of a Frederick County man whose body was found in the trunk of his car late last year.
The suspect is identified as Michael A. Stahlnecker, 51, of the 1700-block of Fallsway Drive, Crofton, Md. He is charged on a warrant from the District Court of Maryland for Anne Arundel County with first degree murder, second degree murder, first degree assault, second degree assault, reckless endangerment, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony/violent crime. 

Stahlnecker was arrested shortly before 6:00 a.m. today by New York/New Jersey Port Authority Police, special agents from ICE Homeland Security Investigations, and the US Marshals Service, as he prepared to board a flight at the JFK International Airport. Investigators from the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit, the State Apprehension Team, and the Frederick County Narcotics Task Force were with federal agents and Port Authority Police when the arrest was made. Stahlnecker is currently held on a fugitive warrant in New York pending extradition proceedings to return him to Maryland.

The victim is identified as John P. Ryan, 37, of Frederick, Md. His body was found in his 2007 Lexus in a parking lot in the 15000-block of Somerville Drive, Derwood, Md., on the afternoon of December 3, 2012. Police had been searching for Ryan since his wife reported him missing to the Frederick Police Department on November 29, 2012.

Since the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit became involved with this investigation, investigators have worked closely with the Frederick County Narcotics Task Force. Task force investigators had initiated an investigation in the summer of 2012 into allegations that Ryan and associates were involved in the importation and distribution of marijuana. Stahlnecker was identified as a close associate of Ryan’s in this operation.

State Police homicide investigators believe Ryan had a meeting scheduled with Stahlnecker on the morning of November 28, 2012, at a warehouse leased by the suspect in the 3300-block of Laurel Fort Meade Road, Laurel, Md. A search warrant served at the address resulted in the recovery of Ryan’s blood near the rear loading dock and on the bristles of a broom outside the rear of the business.

Investigators believe evidence indicates Ryan was shot at the warehouse location and then driven in his car to the address in Montgomery County where his body was found in the trunk. A motive has not been confirmed at this time, however investigators determined Stahlnecker owed large amounts of money to several persons.

The investigation is continuing.