George Almquist

Who killed George Almquist?
A dedicated minister, husband, and father, the Reverend George David Almquist was a man committed to strengthening communities of faith. Born on January 22, 1935, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he built a life centered on service. After graduating from St. Cloud State University and earning his Master of Divinity degree, he married Mavis Verlene Coil in 1959, and together they raised two children, Jane Marie and David Wayne. Reverend Almquist, a 43-year-old White / Caucasian male, began his career serving churches in his home state before moving to Kansas. There, he became known for his passion and expertise in supporting churches with small memberships, a calling that his bishop, Ernest T. Dixon, would later praise as an inspiration. In 1976, he was appointed superintendent of parish development for Kansas, a role that eventually led him to relocate to Salina.

In September 1978, Reverend Almquist traveled to Wichita to attend the Kansas West Conference annual meeting for the United Methodist Church. On the night of September 14, he was walking from the conference, held at 330 N. Broadway, back to his motel. At approximately 11:34 p.m., his path took him along the 900 block of North Broadway. In that quiet moment, his life of devotion was met with sudden and brutal violence. Residents of a nearby apartment complex heard a single gunshot and went to investigate. They found Reverend Almquist’s body in an area behind the building at 930 N. Broadway.

The Wichita Police Department responded to the scene of what was clearly a homicide. An autopsy would later reveal the full extent of the attack: Reverend Almquist had been severely beaten over the head before being fatally shot once behind his right ear. The investigation that followed explored several angles, but the strongest theory detectives developed was that the minister had been the victim of a botched robbery. His wallet was missing, suggesting a motive of theft that escalated to murder. The violent death of a respected clergyman sent waves of shock and sorrow through the United Methodist Church community across Kansas and beyond.

In the course of their investigation, police questioned a 27-year-old man named Eddie Locke as a potential suspect. Locke was also under suspicion for several other recent street robberies in the area, which seemed to align with the theory of the crime. However, despite their interest in him, authorities were unable to gather enough evidence to file charges against Locke or any other individual in connection with the murder. No arrests were ever made, and no other suspects have ever been publicly identified.

Reverend Almquist’s funeral was held at the University United Methodist Church in Salina, the city he had made his home. He was laid to rest in the Fridsborg Cemetery in Anoka County, Minnesota, returning to the state where he was born. In the years that followed his death, his work continued to have an impact; a publication he edited, the "Resource Notebook for Cooperative Parish Development," was published posthumously, a final testament to his dedication. His bishop remembered how Almquist had followed his dream of parish development, even when it meant taking a significant pay cut and facing an uncertain future, calling the story of his ministry an inspiration.

Decades have passed, but the murder of Reverend George Almquist remains a painful, unanswered question. The case is now classified as a cold case, one of more than 200 unsolved homicides that the Wichita Police Department continues to keep open. As of November 2026, the investigation is inactive pending new information. Justice for the dedicated minister, who spent his life building up communities, has remained elusive, his violent death a stark and tragic contrast to a life lived in peace and service to others.