VALDOSTA — “The loss of a loved one is hurtful and stressful, and the very thought that someone would abuse the deceased adds insult to injury,” said Britt McLane, vice president of McLane Funeral Services in Lowndes County, speaking about the atrocities committed by the Tri-State Crematory in Noble, Ga.

So far, authorities have recovered more than 240 bodies discarded in various places around the property of the North Georgia crematory which were supposed to have been cremated. Upset family members have been bombarding state agencies and funeral homes trying to find out if their departed loved ones are among the remains.

McLane operates Lowndes County’s only crematory. The funeral home has been handling calls for several days from local families who need reassurance that their loved ones were not sent to the Noble crematorium.

“Even before we built our crematory in 1998, we contracted with Kimbrell Stern Funeral Home in Albany. Most crematories only serve about a 100-mile radius, so unless someone from here used a funeral home up there, there would have been no reason for anyone from this area to have used them,” he said.

McLane said their crematory adheres to very strict standards to ensure each person is treated with respect. “We only cremate one person at a time, and our crematory is used exclusively for humans.”

He said each family can be assured that the urn they receive contains the remains of their loved one.

Both Stevens Funeral Home in Valdosta and Lovein Funeral Home in Nashville said they contract with McLane Crematory as needed.

Bob Lovein said there would be no reason for anyone to have been sent to the Noble crematory, and his funeral home has less than a half dozen requests for cremation each year. “We have received several phone calls from client families we’ve served who needed reassurance, and we put them at ease.”

The operator of the Noble crematory, Ray Brent Marsh, 28, has been charged with 16 counts of theft by deception for allegedly accepting payment for cremations he did not intend to perform. More charges, including possible federal charges, are still pending.

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) has set up a toll-free information line, 1-888-887-1845, for concerned family members. The line is being answered from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. In addition, an information line has been posted on the GEMA web site at www.gema.state.ga.us that can be submitted electronically.

Gov. Roy Barnes has declared a state of emergency in Walker County, the site of the crematory, allowing state resources to be utilized for the investigation and recovery.

McLane said, “This was an unspeakable act, and the impact emotionally on the people involved is incredible.”



To contact reporter Kay Harris, please call 244-3400, ext. 280.