Woman found dead under forklift stolen from Maryland store

A woman was found dead under a forklift early Sunday after authorities say an employee stole the forklift from a store in Waldorf, Maryland, drove it to another store, ran over the woman and then stole her car.

Gloristine Pinkney, of Waldorf, was the victim, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office said. She was 73 and had been sleeping in the car.

Bryce Caleb Timothy Brown, 20, of Waldorf, was arrested and charged.

“This is absolutely a tragic story. It’s bizarre. We don’t know why the suspect did this. We’re still trying to figure that out. I don’t know if we’ll ever get an answer. The victim wasn’t doing anything but sleeping in her vehicle,” spokeswoman Diane Richardson said.

Witnesses said the man broke into the Lowe’s store in the 2500 block of Crain Highway while the store was closed overnight, stole the forklift and fled by ramming the store’s rear gates. He worked at the Lowe's, the sheriff's office said.

Officers responded at about 12:40 a.m. The man was already gone, the office said in a statement.

Officers canvassed the area and found the forklift in the parking lot of a Home Depot about a half-mile away, on Jefferson Farm Place. Officers found Pinkney dead underneath the forklift.

“For unknown reasons,” Brown rammed a car that was parked in the Home Depot parking lot, the sheriff’s office said they learned. Pinkney woke up, got out of the car and began running away.

But Brown followed her on the forklift and ran her over, the sheriff’s office said.

Then he got into her car and drove off.

Homicide detectives are investigating a homicide in the parking lot of a home improvement store on Jefferson Farm Place in Waldorf that occurred in the early morning hours and are searching for the victim's vehicle which was stolen: https://t.co/BN8s9gIizb pic.twitter.com/9nhYazY4IQ

— Charles Co Sheriff (@CCSOMD) July 2, 2023

Pinkney and Brown are not believed to have known each other.

“This appears to be a random attack," Richardson said.

Detectives identified Brown as the suspect and arrested him Sunday evening. Pinkney’s car was found near his home.

Brown was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, assault, theft and related charges. He is being held in Charles County without bond.

Anyone with potentially relevant information is asked to contact the sheriff's office. Tips to the Charles County Crime Solvers can be submitted by calling 1-866-411-TIPS or online at www.charlescountycrimesolvers.com

Neither Lowe's nor Home Depot immediately responded to inquiries.

Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.