Woman dies after being stabbed in Roland Park

By Andrew Dunn

A 59-year-old woman was fatally stabbed in Baltimore’s Roland Park neighborhood as she was walking her dogs Friday night, police said.

Officers were called to the 600 block of W. University Parkway around 11 p.m. and found the victim, Molly K. Macauley. She was taken to an area hospital, where she died.

Police have not identified a suspect or provided a description of one. Detectives talked with nearby residents Saturday, and the police presence in the community has been increased, police said.

Macauley was the vice president for research and a senior fellow with Resources for the Future in Washington, a think tank that produces research on the environment and natural resources. She joined the organization in 1983 and was also an adjunct economics professor at the Johns Hopkins University for nearly 20 years.

This was the first homicide in years in the quiet, affluent neighborhood where Macauley lived. The incident happened on a street lined by large homes with well-manicured lawns and picturesque foliage.

Kelly Burke, a neighbor of Macauley’s, described her as a private, hardworking person who adored her two dogs. Walking her own three dogs Saturday, Burke said she will no longer walk alone at night on the road where the incident took place.

The incident shocked City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke, who said she is not used to hearing about violent crimes — let alone homicides — in her district.

“There’s nothing to be said except it’s a horrible waste of a wonderful life for no reason,” Clarke said. “This has to stop in Baltimore and everywhere.”

Those who worked with Macauley said she was dedicated to her craft.

Phil Sharp, former president of the think tank, said when he chose her as vice president, she picked up books on leadership and formed a council to consult to make her a better executive.

“There is simply nobody I have worked with who is as hard-working and dedicated as she is,” Sharp said.

Although her desk was characteristically covered with papers, he said, she insisted she could find anything — and he believed it.

“She was absolutely determined that she and all of us have an impact on this world,” he said. “And it was wonderful to see.”

Dave Cohen, press secretary for Resources for the Future, was shocked by the news.

“I admired her,” Cohen said. “She was just terrifically bright and as kind a person as I can hope to meet.”

Margaret Walls knew Macauley since 1987, when Walls joined Resources for the Future. While Macauley commuted to Washington for work, she could never leave the city, Walls said.

“She was the biggest Baltimore advocate in the world,” she said. “She wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”

Walls recalled one time when Macauley drove from Baltimore to McLean, Va., for a party Walls hosted. Macauley brought a bundle of Baltimore-themed gifts, such as Berger cookies and Raven beer, she said.

Even more important to Macauley were the two rescue dogs she adopted, Walls said.

Bruce Hamilton, an economics professor emeritus at Johns Hopkins who was Macauley’s dissertation adviser, said she used to take care of his dogs when he went on vacation.

Hamilton and Macauley stayed in contact through the years. She regularly showed up to the Friday night volleyball games Hamilton hosts at his house.

Hamilton said one of his first interactions with her rings truest to her character. While most students do not have a thesis topic in mind, she had three or four ideas ready immediately, ending up studying the economics of satellites.

“She just recognized it as an area where some real good could be accomplished by bringing some sensible order to, at the time, a very chaotic system,” he said. “That characterized everything she touched professionally.”

Macauley published dozens of journal articles on science and policy and received numerous awards for her work. She testified before Congress on various science issues 10 times, according to her resume.

Macauley graduated from the College of William & Mary in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics. She earned her Master of Arts and doctorate, both in economics, from Johns Hopkins in 1981 and 1983.

Some residents gathered Saturday evening at a nearby house to grieve and discuss the incident over a potluck dinner.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7Lockup.

Baltimore Sun editor Kalani Gordon contributed to this article.