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Worker Found Beaten To Death Inside Brooklyn Park Popeyes

BROOKLYN PARK, Md. (WJZ)--Searching for a killer. An employee was found dead inside a popular fast food restaurant in Anne Arundel County. Now police have made an arrest.

Rochelle Ritchie spoke with neighbors shocked by the crime.

Police have not released any information about the arrest, not naming the suspect or discussing the motive.

The intense investigation continues. Friends say the victim was a wife and mother who worked two jobs to provide for her family.

What led up to the gruesome discovery inside the Popeyes on Ritchie Highway has yet to be determined.

"If anybody witnessed anything, saw anything unusual, give us a call," said TJ Smith.

But those who knew 47-year-old Luzviminda Monreal are nothing less than shocked by her murder.

"I'm very appalled because of the fact she was my neighbor," said Michelle Drakes.

Anne Arundel County police say the opening manager arrived around 8 a.m. Sunday. That's when they found the victim in the back stockroom. Police say she had been beaten to death.

"We're looking at this as a homicide investigation. We have yet to determine whether this was a robbery or some other type of altercation," Smith said.

The victim, according to neighbors, lived on the second floor of an apartment building in Laurel with her husband and daughter.

"This is somebody's wife and to find out that my friend had been passed away in that manner...I just hope that this will put a name on her as a human being and you find whoever did this senseless killing," Drakes said.

Homeowners living near the murder scene say a quick apprehension of the killer is crucial in settling nervous residents.

"I hope they catch him soon," a neighbor said.

The Popeyes is closed. A sign is posted asking customers to go to another location.

A cleanup crew were the only people allowed inside Monday as the restaurant prepares to reopen.

Police say they will release more information Tuesday morning at a press briefing.

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