Crime & Safety

Victims Identified in Fatal Route 3 Crash

The three people killed Tuesday evening included two girls, ages 7 and 14, and a 37-year-old woman, all from Virginia.

Anne Arundel County Police have identified those involved in a major crash on Route 3 Tuesday evening, and said those killed included two girls and a 37-year-old woman from Virginia. 

Police said six others were injured in the crash, which took place at about 5 p.m. Tuesday and involved a 2000 International Truck whose driver failed to properly slow down as it exited Route 32 onto southbound Route 3. 

According to police, the truck struck a 2009 Toyota Camry with five passengers, three of whom died.

Those killed included: 

  • Bethany Dawn Dempsey, 37, of Warsaw, VA
  • Dempsey's daughter, 14-year-old Lauren White, also of Warsaw
  • Abigail Randi Cullen, age 7, of Warsaw, VA
Cullen's father, Michael Thomas Cullen, is in critical but stable condition at Shock Trauma. He was identified as Dempsey's boyfriend. 

Cullen's son, age 15, was in the front seat and is in critical but stable condition, police. 

The Freelance-Star in Fredericksburg reported that Dempsey was the daughter of the King George County sheriff, Steve Dempsey, and that White was his granddaughter. The newspaper also reported that Cullen's son goes by the name of "Bubba."

Police said four other people sustained minor injuries in the crash, which involved a total of eight vehicles. 

Police said an early investigation suggests the crash happened when the driver of a flatbed delivery truck exited Route 32 and then failed to decrease his speed as he approached slowing traffic on Route 3 southbound. The truck struck the 2009 Camry and caused a chain reaction. 

The driver of the truck was identified as Jason Nathaniel Pagaypya, 36, of Waldorf. Police said there was no indication that he was exceeding the speed limit, but that driver error was a factor. Police are consulting with the State's Attorney's office and an investigation is ongoing. 

Editor's note: This article has been updated from its original version with additional information about the victims. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.