Victim says police indifferent to her loss of life savings in gold

A Grand Coulee woman who lost her life savings in gold Krugerrands has charged that police here show no interest in pursuing ideas she has offered on who might have taken them.

Dorothy Harris reported to police early in June this year that someone had taken 200 gold African Krugerrand coins along with other coins from her home.

At the time, the Krugerrands were valued at $1,308 each, with the total loss at $261,600.

Harris said she has gone to the police here a couple of times lately to provide ideas on who might have taken them, but the police show no interest. She said one officer just laughed at her.

The Krugerrand coins, 1 oz. each, were kept in a 6-inch by 9-inch box, wrapped in white paper and masking tape.

Harris said this week that a roll of $2 bills was also taken, along with numerous silver coins, some given to her by her mother. She said a pearl necklace valued at $3,500 was also taken.

The Krugerrand gold coins have lost a little value since Harris’ loss and now the going price is about $1,200.

Harris acquired the coins while serving in the military in South Africa and had purchased the coins between 1980 and 1992. She said that the coins were purchased for $300 to $375 each.

“I had in mind that the coins would be my retirement,” Harris stated at the time.

“I have given police the name of a person that is well known to them, and they haven’t even interviewed the person,” Harris said this week.

Harris took note of a KREM 2 news report Monday that a 1978 Krugerand had been dropped in a Spokane Salvation Army bucket.

Interim Police Chief John Tufts said the department takes her loss seriously and police have interviewed a person she said might know about the Krugerrands. “He said he didn’t have any information about them,” Tufts said.

“We have also talked with a person of interest on one occasion and gone back,” he added, “but now the person won’t come to the door.”

Krugerrands were first produced in 1967. Later, the United States and other countries forbade bringing them into the country due to South Africa’s apartheid policy of racial segregation, which was dropped in 1994.

At the time of the loss, Harris told police that the person who took the coins would have to have been known by her sevens dogs in order to gain entry into her house.

Harris said that an Electric City resident who came to the property to do yard work called to say that someone had entered the house and ransacked the drawers in a dresser in the basement. When Harris came home she saw that the drawer where she kept the Krugerrands had been disturbed. That’s when she realized the loss.

Tufts said information was filed the day of the loss for dealers to report anyone who tried to sell Krugerrands to report the incident.

“My guess is that the Krugerrands could have been melted down in order to dispose of them,” Tufts stated.