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Market woes may have led to death

• A former Albany financial advisor was honored in 1996 with inclusion into Merrill Lynch's Circle of Excellence, company officials said.

J.D. Sumner

ALBANY — The founder and former vice president of an Albany office for a financial investment firm died Sunday from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest which may have been prompted, according to police documents, by a downturn in the stock market.

George G. Riles, 59, of Albany, was found dead in his garage by his daughter’s boyfriend around 3 p.m. Sunday, according to police reports. Riles died from a single shot from a shotgun to the chest, Dougherty County Coroner Emma Quimbley said. An autopsy was scheduled Monday at the state Crime Lab in Atlanta, she said.

Police reports show that Riles’ daughter sent her boyfriend to Riles’ home on East Doublegate Drive after she had a phone conversation with her father about the stock market downturn last week.

Riles was the founding member of Merrill Lynch’s Albany office and had worked there for 24 years before retiring as the office’s resident manager in 2003, office officials said.

Coworkers described Riles as a loving and giving man who earned a reputation as one of the premier financial advisors in the city, Merrill Lynch Resident Director Warren Willis said.

“He was more than just a coworker,” Willis said. “Many of us owe our careers to him...losing him is like losing a family member.”

In 1996, Riles was honored with inclusion into Merrill Lynch’s exclusive Circle of Excellence, which invites only a select few advisors from around the world, Willis said.

A dedicated philanthropist, Riles repeatedly made large donations to his alma mater, Georgia Tech — making at least a $25,000 donation in 2003 to the university’s fund for stadium renovations and again in 2005 to Tech’s College of Management in honor of Dr. Phillip Adler, Jr., according to university publications.

An avid animal lover, the Riles family is asking that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Albany Humane Society, according to obituary information.

Riles’ services are planned at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Convenant Presbyterian Church.

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