In a tragic event that unfolded on December 10, 2023, two-year-old Sterling Glover Petty of Frederick, Maryland, lost his life in what police have described as a domestic-related murder-suicide. The young male child was found deceased inside a vehicle in the Largo area of Prince George's County, a community near Upper Marlboro. He had sustained a fatal gunshot wound.
Responding to a welfare check at approximately 1:00 p.m.
in the 1200 block of Mercantile Lane, officers discovered the child alongside his father, 38-year-old Kenneth Petty of Suitland. The elder Petty was also deceased from a gunshot wound. A preliminary investigation by the Prince George's County Police Department's Homicide Unit led them to believe that Kenneth Petty shot and killed his son before taking his own life.
Further investigation into the circumstances revealed that a final domestic violence protective order had been issued against Kenneth Petty by a Frederick County Circuit Court Judge on December 6, 2023. As part of this order, he was required to surrender any firearms. He had been scheduled to appear in court for a final protective order hearing just two days after the incident occurred. The motive for the murder-suicide remains under investigation, and authorities have encouraged anyone with relevant information to come forward.
