EDGEWATER, MD – Under the shadow of the South River, police say greed and betrayal spiraled into deadly violence that would leave two families shattered across Maryland. Investigators allege that Bryan Alberto Cazares, 28, plotted to kill a man he knew—just weeks after being named the sole beneficiary of the victim’s substantial life insurance policy.
Anne Arundel County police revealed the chilling details Wednesday, announcing Cazares’ arrest on charges of first- and second-degree murder in connection with the death of 29-year-old Wilson Estuardo Marroquin Caceros. Cazares, who is being held without bond at the Jennifer Road Detention Center, is accused of orchestrating a cold-blooded scheme for financial gain.
Authorities say the grim sequence of events began on August 17, when Cazares and Caceros were seen together at a rental property on Fullerton Road in Edgewater, less than an hour’s drive from Washington, D.C. By the next night, a gruesome discovery in a Baltimore neighborhood would set off a ripple of shock and grief.
Shortly before midnight on August 18, Baltimore officers responded to a call on Manokin Street, approximately 25 miles north of the Edgewater home. There, they found Caceros’ body with multiple gunshot wounds to the upper torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and a subsequent autopsy confirmed homicide as the cause of death.
Detectives quickly identified Cazares as a person of interest, noting his close connection to the victim. Investigators then uncovered a crucial detail that would cast the case in a sinister new light: Caceros’ $300,000 life insurance policy had recently been changed to list Cazares as its beneficiary, replacing the victim’s immediate family.
Court records further revealed that the Edgewater residence was not the victim’s or suspect’s home, but an Airbnb rental. The residence’s owner told investigators it had been booked under the name “Cesasar Ramos” on the day of the alleged murder. Disturbingly, after tenants left, the owner noticed blood stains on floors and walls, missing towels, and a mop gone from the cleaning closet.
When the homeowner sought additional cleaning funds, she reported receiving $50 via a Chase Zelle transfer from someone identifying themselves as Bryan Cazares, linking the suspect even more closely to the crime scene.
Detectives believe Cazares killed Caceros in the Edgewater rental, then used a red Jeep Cherokee belonging to the victim’s wife to transport the body north. Surveillance footage reportedly captured the distinctive vehicle leaving the scene. Later examination of Cazares’ cell phone location data showed his device traveling the exact route taken by the red Jeep on the night Caceros’ body was dumped.
According to court documents, when Cazares met with detectives, he provided an alibi that was swiftly contradicted by the retrieved video evidence. Confronted with this inconsistency, police say he abruptly stopped cooperating with the investigation.
The motive, investigators allege, was straightforward: take advantage of a recent life insurance policy change and secure a $300,000 payout at the cost of another man’s life. As the case now awaits its next chapter in court, Caceros is remembered on a fundraising page by those closest to him as a devoted father whose presence and dedication made a lasting impact on his family.
Police continue to gather evidence as the community grapples with the tragedy, marked by sorrow and a lingering sense of betrayal.