Woman Found Dead at Medical Office Was Arrested Recently on Drug Charges

A woman whose body was found at the Medical Arts Centre of Glen Burnie was stopped on May 3 after a shooting at the Royal Farms store there.

The homicide victim, Christie Lynn Pelland, 43, of Pasadena worked as a cleaner for Spiritual Cleaning, Anne Arundel County Police said. Pelland cleaned several of the offices inside the building. The office where she was found Monday morning is a gynecologist's office.

Pelland was stopped on a traffic stop after a shooting in Glen Burnie, but detectives had not linked her as a suspect in the shooting, police said Tuesday. Pelland was arrested as a result of the traffic stop for two outstanding warrants for a drug-related charge.

Detectives are investigating both Pelland’s death and the shooting at the Royal Farms store to determine if they are related and what role, if any, the earlier crime may have played in her death.

Preliminary investigation indicates that there were no signs of forced entry into the medical building and this does not appear to be a burglary. Early indication points to this being a targeted incident, police said.

Pelland's body was found inside the building at about 8:45 a.m. Monday with obvious signs of upper body trauma, said police spokesman Lt. T.J. Smith.

"We were notified by an employee who was opening one of the suites inside this medical facility and she found an adult female dead," police spokesman Justin Mulchahy told WBAL TV.

Police said they aren't sure if Pelland was killed over the weekend or Monday before her body was found.

Anyone with information in this case is asked to call Detective Daniel Myers at 410-222-3413 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP.