A welfare check at a senior community led police to a murder case.
SILVER SPRING, Md. — A manhunt continued Friday for two women accused in the death of Hilde Henderson, a 67-year-old mother found dead during a welfare check at a Silver Spring senior community.
Montgomery County police said Henderson was discovered May 26 inside The Charter House on Fenwick Lane. Investigators charged her daughter, Vanessa Tjongarero-Henderson, 29, and Samantha Raebel, 36, with first-degree murder after the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.
The welfare check began about 11 a.m. Officers entered Henderson’s apartment and found her deceased. Authorities have not released the manner or cause of death, and police have not described the condition of the apartment or a possible motive.
Tjongarero-Henderson is from Clarksburg, police said. Raebel is from Phoenix. Detectives said both women have actively evaded arrest since warrants were issued. The search has become the main public step in a case that started inside a building for older residents.
Residents said Henderson’s death left the community unsettled. Neighbors described her as a pleasant woman and said the allegations against her daughter made the case especially painful. One resident said arguments had been heard before, but police have not said whether any past dispute is part of the murder investigation.
No court hearing has been scheduled because neither suspect was in custody as of the latest police update. Once arrested, the women would be expected to appear before a judge in Montgomery County, where prosecutors would begin the formal criminal process.
Author note: Last updated June 5, 2026.