Dec 3, 2021 4 min read

Cindy Powell still vividly remembers the last time she expected to see her brother-in-law, Michael S. King, 13 years ago.

“It was my granddaughter’s birthday, Dec. 3, and we were having a party at my daughter’s house,” Powell said in an interview Wednesday. “Not that Mike came to all the parties, but he was coming to this one.”

King never arrived at the party, and his family reported him missing just a few days later. The 52-year-old lived at 136 Jake Hill Road in West Finley Township.

More than a decade later, neither the family nor police know what happened to King. State police public information officer Trooper Forrest Allison said the case remains an active investigation, and is considered an unsolved homicide.

Zak King, Michael King’s son, saw him the day before he disappeared. According to Zak, his father was going to visit his mother, Jane King, before the party at Greene County Prison, where she had been incarcerated for driving under the influence. Jane King has since died.

“He was seen at home, but earlier that day, and we didn’t know this until later when the police did the investigation, was that he had been seen at the bank, at the post office and at the jail,” Powell said.

As the hours without hearing from Michael turned into days, Zak knew something was wrong.

“I didn’t see him that day. I didn’t think nothing of it because, you know, not to see my dad or talk to my dad for a day was kind of normal, but now two or three days without talking to my father? Now I got an issue,” Zak said.

Michael King took medication for a seizure disorder and high blood pressure. He also did not drive. Zak said his father paid a man to drive him around, and that Michael’s driver took him to Greene County Prison on Dec. 3, 2008.

According to Zak, Michael was holding about $400 for him. Powell said he also had jewelry in his possession, some pieces that belonged to him and some that belonged to relatives.

According to Powell, Michael could be seen wearing the jewelry in surveillance footage from the jail.

“I’m not saying all of it, but he was seen with it,” Powell said.

Zak recalled his father was trying to prove a point to the prison guards, who did not believe that he owned any gold.

“He had his gold on, and I’m like, ‘Well, here, Dad, wear mine,'” Zak said.

“Unfortunately, he was a little show-off,” Powell added.

Powell said Michael was known for having a “wild and crazy side,” but she also remembered him for his humor.

Michael’s property included a junkyard, and he had trouble getting cell service. Powell remembered him having to climb on top of a bus just to get a signal.

What Powell and Zak remember most about Michael, however, was his kindness and devotion to his family.

“He would take his shirt off his back and give it you if you needed it. Even if that meant he didn’t have one,” Zak said.

“He would do anything for anybody,” Powell added. “He always had my back. No matter what it was, he was there for me.”

They both agreed that Michael’s disappearance was out of character for him.

“It also was not his style to just pick up and leave. He would not do that,” Powell said.

Powell and Zak said state police received many tips about Michael, but they never led to any answers. She said police also checked local pawn shops for his jewelry.

As time went on, the tips became few and far between, and there was no new evidence for police to follow.

“With what they had to go on, they basically did what they could,” Powell said.

Zak believes that his father is dead, and that there was foul play involved. Powell is slightly more optimistic.

“I still hold on to the hope,” Powell said. “Realistically, I know.”