Woman Murdered, Debtor Charged: Baltimore County Police

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD - A woman who was reported missing last week was found deceased in her home near Overlea, and a man who owed her money has been charged in her murder, police said Monday.

Athena "Tina" Dardamanis, 63, was found deceased in her home in the 8600 block of Trumps Mill Road, according to officials.

An autopsy revealed she died from multiple traumatic injuries to the upper body, police said.

Authorities said they executed a search warrant at the home after Dardamanis's friends reported her missing Thursday, and detectives determined there were suspicious factors surrounding her disappearance.

"It was not normal for the victim to be away from home as long as she had been; she had dogs that were left uncared for, which was out of character; and [her] roommate knew that the suspect owed her money," Officer Jennifer Peach told Patch regarding the factors that caused concern.

Dardamanis's roommate looked for but did not find his roommate, Peach said; he is not suspected of having any involvement in the murder, she added.

The body was hidden in the home and found by police when they conducted a thorough search, Peach said.

It was located in the basement, according to WBAL, which reported she appeared to have been strangled or asphyxiated.

Kenneth Kyle Quick Jr., 44, of the 1300 block of Knopp Road in Jarrettsville, has been charged with first-degree murder. Court records show the murder occurred Wednesday, Sept. 20.

Police said that Quick had stayed at the victim's home multiple times recently and owed her a large amount of money, which she had told her friends just before she disappeared that she planned to collect.

Quick allegedly stole $30,000 from Dardamanis, for whom he had occasionally done odd jobs around the house, according to Peach.

Quick was arrested on Friday, Sept. 22, and was being held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center. He is slated to appear for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 20 in Baltimore County District Court.

Photo of Kenneth Quick Jr. courtesy of the Baltimore County Police Department.