Woman's Death Ruled Prince George's 13th Homicide of 2011

The death last week of a woman in Capitol Heights, Md., has been ruled a homicide, bringing Prince George's County's total for the first 12 days of 2011 to 13.

Alitha Mae Jennings, 51, of Landover, Md., was found dead in Capitol Heights on Jan. 7. There were no obvious signs of trauma, NBC Washington's Pat Collins reported.

Police launched a death investigation after Jennings's body was found, Cpl. Evan Baxter said.

After an autopsy, the medical examiner's office ruled her death a homicide. No more details about her death are available at this time.

Last night, the most recent homicide occurred when a homeowner shot and killed an intruder.

Some of the 13 homicides have been domestic in nature, while many have been drug-related.

"I am concerned about the level of violence our county has experienced," interim Police Chief Mark Magaw said. "To further increase our investigative capacity, the FBI, DEA and ATF have all committed agents to assist us in our investigations into these homicides."

Police have made arrests in at least three of the cases, the Associated Press reported.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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