Man who lived with his mother is charged with murder after police find body in bathtub

A man who lived with his mother is believed to have murdered her and left her body in the bathtub of their shared home, police said.

Jeremy Gentry, a 48-year-old man from Fruitland, Maryland, was charged with first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment after Beatrice Kay Gentry, 68, was found dead in her home in the 200 block, according to the Maryland State Police.

Police were first alerted to the incident just before 9 p.m. Sunday when Fruitland police and EMS paramedics were dispatched to the residence on a report of “an unconscious female,” according to Maryland State Police.

“Upon entering the home, police and EMS found an unresponsive woman in the bathtub,” authorities said. “Emergency medical personnel pronounced her dead at the scene. The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit was then asked by the Fruitland Police Department to take over the investigation.”

The deceased was later identified as Beatrice Kay Gentry, who shared the home with her son Jeremy Gentry, police said.

The cause and manner of Gentry’s death are pending autopsy results, and police did not provide any information about a possible motive for her suspected murder.

“Maryland State Police forensic crime scene technicians examined the crime scene for evidence,” authorities said. “Further investigative efforts revealed that Jeremy Gentry was the suspect. A subsequent consultation with the Wicomico County District Attorney’s Office resulted in State Police investigators obtaining an arrest warrant for Jeremy Gentry.”

According to police, Gentry was arrested Monday morning without incident.

Gentry is currently awaiting a bond hearing before a Wicomico County District Court commissioner while an investigation into the alleged murder is conducted by the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, Snow Hill Police Department and Fruitland Police Department.

The investigation into Gentry’s death is ongoing.