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The Tri-State Crematory Incident: A Mass Disaster of Negligence

by Allison Carter
10/29/2007

On Oct. 18, Georgia’s state forensic anthropologist came to share his experience with the investigation of the Tri-State Crematory with the students at the University of Georgia.

Before Dr. Frederick Snow began the lecture, he offered a disclaimer to the audience about the graphic photographs of the bones or decomposing corpses. He encouraged anyone to leave who felt sick because nobody wanted to clean up a mess.

In 2002 Snow found himself in Noble, Ga. trying to identify 339 corpses. He had just returned the US from an eight month stay in Bosnia identifying bodies in mass graves. On a Sunday night he received a phone call that would allow him to work on one of Georgia’s largest, most expensive investigations in history.

The investigation revolved around the Marsh Family crematory, run by the founder’s son, Ray Brent Marsh. Media reported on Feb. 15, 2002 that a woman walking her dog found a skull and called the EPA. However, the true story is that the man who delivered propane reported finding a mass grave while, in Snow's words, "taking a leak."

Snow went way beyond what anyone could have learned from the news about this investigation. The investigators found 20 corpses in the Butler Building where the crematory supplies were kept. As they searched the property the investigators found bodies everywhere.

The remains of the people not cremated were found in such great quantity and spread out over such a large amount of property that the Marshes owned that the investigators began to mark the number of bodies with stakes. According to Snow, there was trash everywhere on the property.

At one point during the lecture he showed a picture of an arm bone, and to illustrate the lack of respect Marsh had for the bodies, said, “...milk jug, disposable diaper, arm bone, PVC pipe.”

Snow said the reason that the bones were so spread out was because Marsh would dig a grave, push bodies into the grave, cover it up and then push more bodies over the grave. Marsh also disposed of the bodies in vaults, cars, and even a mass grave only 83 yards from his back door.

During the investigation, a ‘mobile morgue’ was brought in to speed up the process of identification. Naturally this was a hard task, but there were some factors such as tattoos that helped Snow and the GBI put names to the bodies.

Of the 125 bodies left unidentified, but Snow attributed this to three factors. First, many [of the bodies] were at the end of the line. The second reason is the cultural backwater of Walker County. “[They] don’t understand DNA, won’t give it.” Third, many of the people were afraid of what secrets might surface, like one woman who feared her husband would find out their daughter wasn’t the father’s real daughter.

Dr. Snow spent over 2 weeks investigating and cleaning up the Marsh Family’s property. When his stay in Noble, Ga. was finally over, he could only think of one reason why Marsh didn’t dispose of the bodies. “I think he just got overwhelmed and at this point he said, forget it... we’ll dispose of them by other means.”

Marsh was sentenced to 75 years in prison, although he is eligible for parole in 2008. Snow ventured to say, “Marsh will not return to Walker County.”

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