Police: Missing SIM Card Sparked Fatal Dundalk Home Invasion

A dispute over a missing cell phone SIM card is what police believe led to the beating death of a Dundalk man earlier this year, according to court records.

Baltimore County police were called to a home in the 2000 block of Kelmore Road in Dundalk around 2:35 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2026, for a reported assault.

Officers found Christopher M. Stafford, 51, unconscious on the living room floor with severe head and facial injuries, charging documents say.

Stafford was taken to the University of Maryland Medical Center, where doctors determined he had suffered life-threatening head trauma. He died from his injuries on Feb. 11. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide caused by blunt force trauma.

Corey Todd Adams, 44, of Dundalk, was arrested March 25 and charged with first-degree murder, home invasion, burglary and theft in connection with Stafford’s death.

Adams appeared Wednesday from jail via video in Baltimore County Circuit Court, where his trial date was set for Feb. 8, 2027.

Detectives initially believed Stafford had been attacked during a home invasion burglary but later determined the attack was allegedly retaliation over a missing SIM card. A SIM card is a tiny chip that connects a phone to a mobile carrier and gives access to cellular service and a phone number.

Police said an electric bicycle, a shotgun and a handgun were taken from the home during the break-in.

Court records say that the day before the attack, Stafford’s girlfriend and another man went to an apartment complex to retrieve her phone, which she believed had been stolen. The person they were looking for did not answer the door, but they spotted a phone in mulch outside and picked it up. Investigators said the pair soon realized it was not the right phone but kept it anyway.

Shortly afterward, a man known as “Bunk” contacted Stafford’s girlfriend and said the phone belonged to him, police said. The phone was returned to “Bunk” — later identified by police as Adams — but detectives said he remained angry because he believed the SIM card had been removed.

According to charging documents, Adams allegedly threatened to “kick in the door” and hurt everyone inside the house if the SIM card was not returned. The people involved denied removing the card.

Detectives said phone records showed multiple unanswered calls from a number linked to Adams to Stafford’s phone shortly before the attack.

Surveillance footage from an alley behind the Kelmore Road home showed a dark blue Mazda 3 driving through the area twice on Jan. 13. The second time, around 1:54 p.m., two people got out and walked toward the rear of the house, court records say.

A detective later interviewed Adams at his Dundalk apartment and noticed one of his hands was bandaged. Adams told police he had broken it sometime in January.

According to charging documents, Adams said a man known as “Corn” and Stafford’s girlfriend had taken his phone. He told detectives he repeatedly called them trying to get it back.

Detectives allege Adams and another unidentified man were driven to the rear of the Kelmore Road home on the day of the attack, where the door was kicked in and the residence entered. An electric bicycle and a shotgun were later carried from the home and placed into the trunk of a Mazda, police said.

According to court records, Adams was later taken to a hospital after he appeared to injure his hand while forcing entry into the home.

Police said Adams has prior convictions involving narcotics distribution, armed robbery and assault.