Ex-Cop Kidnapped His Young Daughters. All Ended Up Dead

Tragic ending to Maryland case
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 19, 2021 12:10 AM CST
Updated Nov 19, 2021 6:41 AM CST
Ex-Cop Kidnapped His Young Daughters. All Ended Up Dead
This image provided by the Baltimore County Police Department show former Baltimore County Police Officer Robert Vicosa and Baltimore County Police Sgt. Tia Bynum.   (Baltimore County Police Department via AP)

A former Baltimore County Police officer allegedly attacked his ex-wife and kidnapped his young daughters Sunday, and as authorities closed in on them, the case came to a tragic end. Robert Vicosa, his alleged accomplice Tia Bynum, and 6- and 7-year-olds Giana and Aaminah Vicosa were found dead Thursday afternoon, sources tell the Baltimore Sun. Pennsylvania state troopers pursued the vehicle, which was headed toward Maryland, because it matched the description of the suspect's car.

It eventually drifted off the road and crashed in a shallow ditch in western Maryland, WBAL reports. Authorities approached and found all four inside with gunshot wounds; three died at the scene while one child was flown to a hospital but did not survive. Bynum, a Baltimore County Police sergeant until she was suspended Wednesday amid the manhunt, was allegedly at the wheel of the car. It's not clear who fired the gun, but the pair was considered armed and dangerous. On Wednesday, they allegedly carjacked a Maryland man and forced him to drive them around, but ultimately released him without harming him, and earlier they allegedly stole a woman's car.

The horror started Friday night when Vicosa, who was fired from the force three months ago, allegedly lured his ex to his Pennsylvania home for a birthday celebration, then held her at gunpoint with Bynum, tied her up, drugged her, and sexually assaulted her over a period of 24 hours. He threatened to kill her and the girls if she told anyone what was going on, but let her leave to get clothes Sunday. She got help at that point, but authorities arrived to find him and his daughters gone. (More Maryland stories.)

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