Georgia Teens' Bodies Found in Their Own Backyard

Mary Crocker and Elwyn Crocker Jr.'s cause of death may not be known for some time
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 26, 2018 6:03 AM CST
Georgia Teens' Bodies Found in Their Own Backyard
Elwyn Crocker Jr. and Mary Crocker.   (Effingham County Sheriff's Office)

It may be weeks before authorities get the final word on how the teens died, but who they are has been established. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the remains of Mary Crocker and Elwyn Crocker Jr. have been found in their own backyard in Guyton, Ga. Confirmation of their identities came Monday; the remains had been found Thursday. Coroner David Exley said part of the reason why cause of death won't be known for some time is because the children have themselves been buried for some time. He suggested Mary, 14, was last seen in October, and Elwyn in November 2016, when he was also 14, reports WSAV.

Neither was reported missing, but a tipster's 911 call led authorities to the house last Wednesday. WJCL reports the home's adults said one of the children was in South Carolina, where their mother lives; authorities returned to the house Thursday after determining that wasn't the case and were led to a site adjacent to the property's woodline by father Elwyn Crocker Sr., 50. He, his 33-year-old wife, his wife's mother, and her boyfriend have all been charged with child cruelty and concealing a death. A neighbor tells WSAV he had seen Elwyn Crocker Sr. since November near where the remains were found with a shovel. WTOC quotes a neighbor as saying, "This guy, the biological father, was a Santa Claus at Rincon Walmart [where he worked], and these other families who live out here had their kids in his lap." (More missing child stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X