Prince Frederick, MD – A veteran Maryland State Police (MSP) trooper who was found dead in his Calvert County home this past August took his own life with a drug overdose, the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) reported. Corporal Robert L. Payne Jr., 41, was assigned to the MSP’s La Plata Barrack at the time of his death. He had been a state trooper for 20 years.
According to OCME spokesman Bruce Goldfarb, Payne’s death was caused by “tapentadol intoxication, and the manner is suicide.” Tapentadol is an opioid analgesic.
The Beall Funeral Home in Bowie reported that Payne was the father of seven and the surrogate father of two. Services for Payne were held Aug. 14.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com