BRYANS ROAD, Md. (Scripps News Baltimore) — Investigators believe they’ve solved a 1979 murder in Maryland.
It was August 28 of that year when Vickie Lynn Belk, 28, was reported missing by her then-boyfriend.
Andre Taylor is charged with rape and murder in the death of Vickie Lynn Belk, who was last seen on Aug. 28, 1979. (Belk Family/Charles County Sheriff’s Office via WMAR)
The couple worked together at the Department of Agriculture in Washington D.C.
A day later, a teenager was riding a bike along Metropolitan Church Road and Route 227 when they came across a body in a wooded area on the side of the roadway.
It was Vickie. She’d been raped and shot to death.
For decades her killer’s identity remained a mystery, despite several leads and multiple pieces of evidence being recovered from the crime scene.
In early 2022, with the advancement of forensic technology, detectives decided to re-evaluate the evidence by submitting Vickie’s clothing for DNA testing.
Later that year, in November, investigators received their big break.
Using the National Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a matching profile was discovered.
Need help keeping up with your true crime obsession? Sign up for COURT TV’s free newsletter for the latest crime stories, ongoing trial coverage, weirdest crimes and unsolved casefiles sent straight to your inbox.
Detectives learned Andre Taylor, now 62, had a violent criminal record and lived within four miles of where Vickie’s body was found.
Taylor was eventually tracked down in D.C. and indicted by a grand jury on murder and rape charges.
Investigators still don’t have a motive as there is no indication that Taylor, who was only 18 at the time, knew Vickie.
Police say Taylor’s past crimes do not resemble those he allegedly committed against Vickie.
Taylor also, thus far, has not been linked to any other similar cases.
He’s currently being held without bond at the Charles County Detention Center.
“The news of the grand jury returning an indictment for the individual responsible for Vickie’s death and an arrest in her murder begins the long-awaited process of justice finally being served,” said Kay Belk, Vickie’s sister. “We are grateful for the tireless efforts of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office detectives and the forensics personnel who never ceased seeking justice on Vickie’s behalf.”
Since her death, Vickie’s family launched the Vickie Belk Foundation which grants school scholarships in her memory.
To learn more about the foundation click here.
