Latest news with #TropicBay
CBS News
11 hours ago
- Business
- CBS News
Anne Arundel County business owner had home burglarized days before he was killed, police say
The owner of an aquatic garden business in Anne Arundel County reported he had his home broken into less than two weeks before he was tied up and burned in his pickup truck, according to police. Police said 67-year-old Edward Stephen Koza told officers that someone stole an undisclosed amount of cash from the home on Spring Race Court in Annapolis on May 12. Police said 67-year-old Edward Stephen Koza told officers that someone stole an undisclosed amount of cash from the home on Spring Race Court in Annapolis on May 12. Contributed photo Jonah Poole and Kylee Dakes, both 18 years old, are facing murder, assault, and arson charges related to Koza's death on May 24. Anne Arundel County police confirmed Poole briefly worked for Koza at Tropic Bay Aquatic Garden Center in Davidsonville in 2024. A neighbor told WJZ that Koza may have been struggling in the weeks leading up to his death. "He was a pretty good neighbor, I know he suffered depression several times," the neighbor said. Police said they cannot release any specific details about the burglary due to the ongoing nature of the investigation. Video of the possible suspect A video circulating on social media appears to show a suspect who fits Poole's description setting fire to a truck that is described in charging documents as Koza's. Police are working to authenticate it as part of their homicide investigation. According to police, Koza was attacked around closing time inside the Tropic Bay Aquatic Center. He was tied up, placed in the back of the pickup truck, driven to a gas station, and back to the parking lot, and was set on fire. "I was shocked," Koza's neighbor said. Sequence of events leading to murder WJZ learned that Dakes' last day at her job at Pirates Cove restaurant in Galesville was on May 13, the day after Koza's home was burglarized. Poole allegedly burglarized Pirates Cove on May 18 and caused about $6,000 in damage and stole more than $11,000 from the safe, according to charging documents. Koza was found dead in his burned truck on May 24, and the suspects were arrested on May 31. Charging documents also revealed that Dakes and Poole were a couple and were scheduled to graduate from Southern High School this week. An Anne Arundel County Public Schools newsletter that celebrates AVID seniors said Dakes was planning to attend Notre Dame of Maryland to study radiology and had received more than $200,000 in scholarships.
CBS News
27-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Human remains found inside burned car has Anne Arundel residents "shocked"
Anne Arundel County residents were shocked to learn that human remains were found in a burned vehicle in a parking lot last weekend. Police continue to investigate after responding to a fully engulfed vehicle fire outside the Tropic Bay Aquatic Garden Center on West Central Avenue in Davidsonville. Once the fire was put out, the remains were located on the passenger side, according to police. "My wife called and asked me if I heard what happened. I was just shocked," said Davidsonville resident Pete Best. "It doesn't seem like the kind of thing that would happen in a small town." Anne Arundel County police are calling this a suspicious death investigation. The body was taken to the medical examiner for an autopsy and identification. "That certainly changed our investigation from what appeared to be an initial vehicle fire to a suspicious death investigation," said Anne Arundel County police spokesperson Justin Mulcahy. "That's where we're at right now." Unsettling discovery The circumstances are chilling and unsettling for residents. Best said he was playing a gig at the restaurant next door to Tropic Bay at the time of the discovery. "These kinds of things happen on TV, and then you go, 'Wow, I can't believe it's right around the corner," Best said. "It kind of puts you on your heels a little bit for sure." The Anne Arundel County Fire and Explosives Investigations Unit is looking into the cause of the vehicle fire while detectives work to piece together who the victim is and how they ended up in that burning car. Mulcahy hopes witnesses or surveillance video will help crack the case. "We're going to talk to anybody who may have frequented that business," Mulcahy said. "Anybody in the area of that business within the 24 hours leading up to this incident – if you have information, reach out to us. Certainly, any surveillance footage would be part of the investigation as well, or anything we can gather to assist our case right now." Anne Arundel County murders As of Friday, May 23, police have responded to six homicide victims in Anne Arundel County in 2025, according to the Anne Arundel County crime data. There were two at this point in 2024. Police investigated 10 total homicides in Anne Arundel County last year.
