Hey:

I don't know if yall remember the case of the crematory in LaFayette, Georgia. Former crematory operator Ray Brent Marsh pleaded guilty Friday to dumping 334 bodies and giving the families of the deceased cement dust instead of ashes. Marsh entered the pleas to 787 counts against him, including theft, abuse of a corpse, burial service fraud and making false statements. Authorities found more than 300 corpses on the property — scattered in the woods, in buildings and crammed into burial vaults and behind Marsh's house. The families sued him for $80 million and settled for $36 million. He's going to have charges against him from TN, also, since they had sent bodies to him for cremation. Hope this guy has all of these souls tearing at him when it's his time to cross over. What a terrible thing to do. None of these people were properly laid to rest, just thrown out like garbage. Makes you wonder how often a person really gets the ashes of their loved ones. My hubby's aunt's ashes are in a cherry cambridge on my mantle...now I'm wondering if it's really her ashes we have.

Hi SavannahSilkie,

That is really weird you'd mention that story! I did'nt know anything about it, but I just read a book called, "The Witches Grave" a month ago. It was exactly the same story! And if I remember right, that's the guys name! I'll go back to the library and check it out again to make sure. It was a really good book! I highly recomend it if you get a chance to read it!

Savannah, I checked out the book," The Witches Grave" by Phillip DePoy. It's a fiction story about that incident.

It's hard to understnd how someone could be so cold and evil , just to make an extra buck. It's hard enough to bury our loved ones, let alone finding out they were dumped out back in the woods, and lied to.

My heart goes out to anyone that has suffered such news as that, I can't imagine the pain and hurt of it.

I'm hoping for you that it is your husband's aunt in the cambridge on your mantle. Is there any way to investigate it if you wanted to know? After what Ray Marsh did, I would hope there would be a tighter security in all crematoriums in the country. I hate to think of any others doing it too, but you never know.

Let me know if you here anything more on this!

((hugs)) Emerald

Hey there Emerald:

That's cool, I didn't know there was a book about it. The funeral home we used didn't send hubby's aunt's remains to that Crematorium, thank goodness. I don't know if there would be a way to verify it, other than have it analyzed to make sure it is human remains and not cement or something. I don't know if there is any DNA left after a person is cremated in the bone fragments or not. They use such extreme heat in cremation, I doubt there's a way to know for sure if it is her remains, but I'm sure they can tell if they're human versus some other material. It's just creepy, people can be so evil. I couldn't have slept at night, knowing all those bodies were strewn around my property.

There was a report in our paper about his plea and when I read it sickened me as I did recall the story when it was first told.

I agree it is creepy and a sad reminder of some of the evil that is in our world. My heart goes out to the families that have been affected by this.

Pate I believe they can tell if remains are human or not by the fragments. I'm sorry this has brought concerns for you with your Aunt's remains but I do understand why. Glad to hear that the funeral home did not use this Crematorium, in knowing that I'm sure your Aunt's remains were handled properly and with respect. ((hugs)) If I remember correctly I believe the authorities checked others in the area and confirmed that it was only Ray Marsh's Crematorium that was involved with this despicable act? I sure hope so.

I remember that story and was horrified by it. It is hard to imagine anyone being so heinously insensitive that they would do this to a bereaved family -- let alone 335 of them, if not more. It is just horrifying!