ESSEX, Md. — Police in Baltimore County are still piecing together a deadly arson case which claimed the lives of a mother and her young daughter more than three decades ago.
In May 1992, a fire tore through an apartment building on Hadwick Drive in Essex. 8-year-old Victoria Gericke and her 30-year-old mother, Mary Lee Gericke, died of smoke inhalation, according to Baltimore County Police.
Investigators determined the fire was intentionally set in the basement stairwell with a flammable fluid. The arson caused over $500,000 in damage.
"Several people tried to go to their doors, and tried to go outside feeling the heat. Many people jumped from the building, and several people passing by actually tried to help people get out of that building," said Cpl. Dona Carter of the Baltimore County Police.
At least 10 people were hospitalized with burns or injuries from falling, Carter told WMAR in a July 2025 interview.
"There have been several people that have been interviewed and questioned throughout the years. There were some tips received about people who may have had domestic problems who lived in the building, or other types of issues. But none of the leads actually took us to a suspect that was viable," Carter told WMAR-2 News.
It's unclear who the arsonist was targeting, Carter explained. The origin of the fire was the basement stairwell, and the Gerickes lived on the second floor.
Police have renewed their efforts on the case recently, conducting more interviews in hopes of finding new information.
"There's been significant activity on the case in the past year or two. There's been additional interviews that have been done, that we were hoping would lead to a suspect or an arrest in this case. However they have not led us there yet," Carter said.
Authorities are asking for the public's help, not only collecting new details, but in obtaining a photo of Mary Gericke.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Baltimore County Police at 410-887-3943.
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