Crime and Courts

Suspect Arrested in DC Teen's 2020 Slaying

Brian Ward was missing for more than a year before police found his remains in Laurel, Maryland

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A suspect has been arrested more than two years after a D.C. teen was killed and his remains dumped in Maryland, police say.

Brandon Nguyen, 24, was arrested and charged Monday with second-degree murder while armed in the death of 17-year-old Brian Ward.

Ward was last seen getting into a car near his Petworth home in September 2020. He was missing for more than a year before police found his remains in an area of Laurel, Maryland, in December 2021.

D.C. police said Monday Ward was killed in a shooting on Allison Street NW on Sept. 29, 2020. At the time of the shooting, officers didn't find any shooting victims, police said.

A medical examiner determined Ward was shot multiple times, according to police.

Ward’s family celebrated his 18th birthday without him in September of 2021, wearing shirts saying, “We miss you.”

A D.C. teenager who told his family he was going out with his friends over a year ago hasn’t been seen or heard from since. News4's Aimee Cho spoke with his parents.

The family held out hope that Ward would return home safely, even when they were targeted by scammers demanding ransom.

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