The Murder of Pam Basu: A Case That Changed Carjacking Laws

In 1992, “carjacking” was a new term. Maryland residents learned about it the hard way when a mother and acclaimed scientist was dragged to her death during a carjacking. That this happened in Savage, Maryland, made it seem even more alien.

At that time, this was an area known more for its historic district and Savage Mill shopping complex, a shopping center created in a historic cotton mill complex. Now, Savage is also known for the murder of Dr. Pamela (Pam) Basu.

A Photograph of Historic Savage Mill Taken in 1970, Showing the Bollman Truss Railroad Bridge with the Mill in the Background. Photo by William E. Barrett; United States Library of Congress. (Source: Savage Mill “About Us” Page.)

An Accomplished Chemist

Dr. Pamela (Pam) Basu was born in India and came to the United States when she was just a girl. She lived near Washington, D.C., and earned degrees from the University of Maryland in College Park, Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg, Virginia, and the University of Pittsburgh. She and her husband, Biswanath “Steve” Basu, a contractor, lived in Savage, Maryland, part of Howard County, Maryland. (The area is between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore City.)

Pamela (Pam) Basu and Biswanath “Steve” Basu on Their Wedding Day. (Source: Baltimore Sun; submitted photo.)

At the time of her murder, Pam worked as a Senior Research Chemist for W. R. Grace, a major chemical company headquartered in nearby Columbia, Maryland (which is now part of Standard Industries). She was known for her work with catalytic converters. She was close to receiving an award for her work, which had saved the automotive industry billions of dollars.

The Current W. R. Grace Headquarters in Columbia, Maryland. (Source: W. R. Grace website.)

Pam and Steve Basu had endured the frustrations of the adoption process. Finally, in November 1990, Pam went to India to adopt 3-week-old Sarina. From there, the girl became an important part of the lives of Pam and Steve Basu.

On that fatal day in September, Pam planned to take Sarina to preschool for the first time. She had warned her coworkers that she might be late for that reason. When she was late for work, her co-workers never imagined that Pam had never made it to that preschool. Nor could they imagine why.