January 27, 2018 

Contact: Diane Richardson 

Media Relations Office 

(301) 609-6557 or (240) 682-1658

MURDER / SUICIDE: On January 27 at 7:27 a.m., officers responded to the 3400 block of Amberton Court in White Plains for the report of unknown trouble. A preliminary investigation showed an adolescent child who lives in the house called 9-1-1 to report a disturbance between his parents. The child advised he was with two siblings (all under the age of 12) and that he thought he heard gunshots. The 9-1-1 call-taker stayed on the phone with the child and instructed him and his siblings to hide in the basement while police responded. Officers arrived within minutes, located the children, and took them to safety. Officers checked the house and found the children’s parents deceased in an upstairs bedroom. It appears the father of the children shot his wife and then committed suicide. The victim has been identified as Candace Carnathan, 33 and her husband is identified as Calvin Carnathan, 33. Further investigation showed the victim obtained a temporary protective order against her husband on January 26, which was served to him within an hour of receiving it by members of the CCSO Domestic Violence Unit. In that protective order, the husband was ordered to vacate the house and have no contact with his wife or children. It is not immediately clear what prompted the victim to obtain a protective order.  Det. C. Shankster is investigating.

Charles County Crime Solvers offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest or indictment of a person responsible for a crime in Charles County. Anyone with information about an unsolved crime or the location of a fugitive may contact Charles County Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS. All individuals who provide tips through Crime Solvers will remain anonymous. Learn more at the CCSO’s website.

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is a full-service law enforcement agency comprised of more than 600 police, corrections and civilian personnel responsible for protecting more than 150,000 residents. The CCSO was accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) in 2001 has been designated as a CALEA Gold Standard of Excellence agency since 2011. Established in 1658, the CCSO is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the United States. For more information, visit www.ccso.us.