Trial begins for woman accused of murdering, dismembering grandmother with daughter's help

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. — A murder trial is underway Thursday for Candace Craig, more than a year after a 71-year-old woman was murdered and dismembered after an argument.

Court documents gave more insight into why exactly a mother allegedly killed a grandmother before her daughter helped gruesomely dismember and burn the woman's body in an attempt to rid themselves of the remains. 

Editor's Note: Details in this story may be considered disturbing. Read with caution.

According to the Prince George's County Police Department, 44-year-old Candace Craig and 19-year-old Salia Hardy have been charged in connection to the death of 71-year-old Margaret Craig. 

Officers arrived at a home in the 200 block of Hill Road in Hyattsville just after 1:30 p.m. on June 2, 2023, for requested a welfare check for Margaret Craig after a neighbor reported not speaking with her for several days. 

Charging documents allege that Candace Craig answered the door to the home and allowed police to come inside. 

When officers went into the home's basement, they immediately noticed the odor of decomposition and blood near three white plastic trash bags. When they looked inside an open bag, they discovered what appeared to be brain matter and the dismembered remains of what officers claim to be Margaret Craig.

While walking out of the basement, officers said they noticed a knife on the ground. When they returned, the knife was allegedly missing. 

A forensic investigator arrived and confirmed the bags contained human remains. 

According to the charging documents, investigators later found a chainsaw, cutting utensils, cleaning materials, and blood spatter throughout the basement. Investigators claim human remains were on the chainsaw when it was seized from the home. 

Officials say Salia Hardy, Candace Craig's daughter, waived her rights and told police she overheard her mother fighting with her grandmother on May 23. She explained the fight appeared to be over fraudulent charges on her credit card, which Margaret Craig blamed Hardy for and threatened to report her granddaughter.

Hardy reportedly told police her mother then attacked her grandmother, whose body she reportedly found the next day in a blue bin in her bedroom. 

Charging documents allege Hardy and Candace Craig then began to dismember Margaret Craig with a chainsaw and attempted to burn her remains on a grill and a fire at the back of the home. 

A witness approached detectives and claimed to have seen the mother and daughter burning the human remains after noticing a small fire in the brush behind their home on May 27. They called 911 at the time but when crews arrived, they could not locate the reported fire. 

Police say Candace Craig is charged with first and second-degree murder. Salia Hardy is charged with accessory after the fact. Both are in the custody of the Department of Corrections.