On the 18th anniversary of Daniel Argueta Cordova’s death, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office is again asking the public for help identifying who killed the Waldorf cook.
Earlier appeals listed rewards of up to $1,000 on the sheriff’s cold-case page and up to $2,500 in 2020 and 2025 coverage.
The Night Behind Lowe’s
On November 11, 2008, at 8:24 p.m., sheriff’s officers responding to a call at Lowe’s Home Improvement, 2525 Crain Highway in Waldorf, found a body in a parking area behind the store, according to the office’s cold-case page.
The victim was later identified as Daniel Argueta Cordova, a Waldorf resident who worked as a cook at a local Outback Steakhouse. The sheriff’s office said he was 24. He had suffered trauma to his upper body, and the medical examiner’s office ruled the death a homicide. Officers found him unclothed.
Two People on Store Surveillance
Detectives traced Cordova’s whereabouts before his death to an area liquor store. Surveillance photographs captured two persons of interest in that store near the time he was last seen there, including images of them entering, the sheriff’s office said. Investigators are asking for help identifying those two people.
The office has not publicly described them beyond those images, and the appeal does not name a suspect. The BayNet has reported that the case remains unsolved. A year ago, The Southern Maryland Chronicle reported that investigators were again seeking tips in the killing.
How to Send a Tip
People with information can call Charles County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS. The cold-case page also lists a text option — CHARLES plus the tip to CRIMES (274637) — and a web tip. Tips can also be submitted at charlescountycrimesolvers.com or through the P3 Tips app. P3 Tips is available in the Android and Apple app stores.
The sheriff’s office says people who provide tips through Crime Solvers will remain anonymous. People seeking anonymity can use the Crime Solvers tip line, text option or website.
