Unburied remains found

By Stump Martin and Gary Tanner Staff Writers

NOBLE, Ga. -- Dozens of decomposing bodies were found Friday stacked in storage sheds and scattered in the woods near Tri-State Crematory here, prompting an investigation that had state and local law enforcement officials scouring the area with flashlights late into the night.

"The worst horror movie you've ever seen -- imagine that 10 times worse," Walker County Coroner Dewayne Wilson said. "That is what I'm dealing with."

There are at least 49 bodies on the property, and it may take as long as a week to identify them, said Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson, who is not related to the county coroner. Authorities will set up an on-site morgue today to begin the process, he said.

The coroner said he has contacted all area funeral homes that did business with the crematory and asked them to send representatives to the site today to assist in efforts to identify the bodies.

"I've never seen anything like it," Sheriff Wilson said. "I'm very disappointed and shocked at what I've seen."

The owners of the crematory, Ray and Clara Marsh, are cooperating with authorities, and no charges have been filed yet, Walker County Chief Deputy Hill Morrison said. Members of the Marsh family, who live across the driveway from the crematory, declined comment Friday.

"In talking with the owners, we're being told the crematory was inoperative," Sheriff Wilson said.

The coroner said the Marsh family has turned over all records they have to authorities.

The investigation began with an anonymous telephone call to the Environmental Protection Agency reporting body parts in the woods behind the crematory, Sheriff Wilson said. State investigators arrived Friday afternoon, searched the area and found a human skull, he said. The investigators immediately called in the sheriff's department.

"Initially, we found three or four partial and complete corpses in the woods," Sheriff Wilson said. "Two hours later we found 15 more. We were finding skeletal remains, then we went inside (one) building. We found 29 decomposing bodies in the buildings."

The storage buildings also were packed with equipment and tools, he said.

The sheriff said he believes some of the bodies may have been in the woods three years or longer, and some of those in the outbuildings may have been put there as recently as this week.

Coroner Wilson said he expects the estimate of 49 bodies on the site to go up considerably. "There are a lot more than 49 bodies here," he said. "This is the biggest mess I've seen in a long time."

The chief medical examiner for Georgia and a team of investigators from Atlanta arrived on the scene Friday evening, along with the pathologist from the state crime lab in Summerville, Ga. Agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation scoured the woods along with Walker County Sheriff's Department deputies Friday night.

W.E. "Bill" McGill, former coroner for Walker County, said he long had suspected problems at the crematory.

"I had problems because they didn't meet state requirements," he said. "I know of several things that went on, but I can't prove anything."

In November, Walker County deputies received a call from a local resident who reported finding a body part in woods near the crematory, Sheriff Wilson said. Deputies searched the area but found nothing suspicious, he said.

The Marsh family has owned the crematory for about 30 years, officials said. Mrs. Marsh is a retired Walker County educator and a community activist for the schools.

"I wouldn't have thought this would happen at this business," Sheriff Wilson said.

Staff writer Mike O'Neal contributed to this story.