Mum and daughter accused of killing gran with chainsaw before burning remains on grill

Candace Raquel Craig and her daughter, Salia Hardy, are charged in relation to the murder of their grandmother and mother, Margaret Craig, at their home in Prince George's County of Washington DC, Maryland

A woman and her daughter are accused of murdering their gran and burning her remains on a charcoal grill.

Candace Raquel Craig, 44, and her 19-year-old daughter, Salia Hardy, have been arrested after a witness came forward with shocking information.

The pair stands accused of burning what is believed to be their grandma's remains behind their home in Prince George's County of Washington DC in Maryland.

The investigation began when police arrived at the home for a welfare check on the elderly victim, Margaret Craig, 71, on Friday, June 2.

Immediately, the officers detected a strong odour of decomposition from the basement.

The officers reportedly observed blood and tissue on the basement floor near three white plastic trash bags, with one bag containing what appeared to be brain matter.

A knife was also found initially but later went missing. The basement was further discovered to have blood spatter, a chainsaw cover, cutting utensils, and cleaning materials, all indicating a gruesome scene.

The remains found in the basement were later identified as belonging to Margaret Craig.

While police were at the scene, a neighbour approached detectives and told them that a few days before, on May 27, they stumbled upon a small fire behind the property.

The witness claimed to have seen Margaret's daughter, Candace Craig and Hardy, Candace's daughter, burning what they believed to be human remains in the nearby woodline.

Alarmed by this shocking revelation, the neighbour reportedly called 911, but firefighters that arrived failed to locate any evidence of a fire.

Detectives then combed the wood line and were able to locate the area where the fire had burned, corroborating the witness's account, according to an affidavit seen by ABC7 News.

The two women were then arrested. Hardy confessed that on May 23 she overheard a heated altercation between her mother, Craig, and her grandmother.

The argument reportedly stemmed from the deceased grandma alleging her daughter had used her credit card and threatened to report Craig to the police. In a fit of rage, Craig launched a physical attack on her mother.

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The shocking revelations did not end there as, according to Hardy's statement, the following day she found the remains of the victim inside a blue bin.

In a macabre twist, Craig and Hardy then proceeded to dismember the body using a chainsaw.

Attempting to cover their tracks, the accused mother and daughter allegedly tried to dispose of the remains by burning them on a grill and in the fire behind their residence, police said.

Candace Craig has been charged with first and second-degree murder and Salia Hardy is charged with accessory after the fact.

The tragic alleged crime comes two years after Candace posted a loving message for her mother on Facebook to celebrate Mother's Day.

The message read: "Happy Mother's Day to the number one woman in my life. I hope you have an awesome and peaceful day. I don't get to say this everyday but I love you very much to the moon and back.

"I also want to wish every Mother and Mom like, woman out there a Happy Mother's Day."

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