ARBUTUS, Md. — It was December 12, 1994 when robbers targeted a business in Arbutus, which collected quarters from coin-operated, pay phones—-14 heavy cases filled with them worth thousands of dollars.
The only thing standing between them and the loot was the overnight dispatcher, 45-year-old George King.
“My aunt was waiting on George to come home from work at 7 a.m., and she took the car and went to work herself, and he didn’t show up, but two detectives did,” said Mary Melber, King’s niece.
The family learned when another employee showed up for work, the cases were missing along with King even though his car was still parked outside.
They would later find his body in a nearby dumpster.
“I lost my uncle. He was seven years older than me. We grew up like brother and sister. I worshiped the ground that man walked on,” said Melber, “I just can’t even share how I felt when I found out that his life had been taken in that manner. I cannot even put into words my feelings. So there’s no closure. I just want a little justice here.”
Justice for a man who was working two jobs to support his family when some two bit crooks bent on taking a haul of quarters took his life in the process.
“You figure over all of these years, three or four people involved, the relatives and friends that they have, the amount of money that was stolen—-all those factors to me times hundreds of people, if you think about it, over the years down the line,” said Melber, “Isn’t that a horrible burden?”
If you have any information about the missing quarters or killer, you can call Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP.
