Families give blood samples, hope to identify more bodies

NOBLE, Ga. -- Distraught families lined up to give blood samples Monday in the hope their DNA might help investigators identify more of the scores of corpses scattered around a Georgia crematory.

Some people brought what they once believed were the ashes of relatives whose bodies had been sent to Tri-State Crematory. Elaine Bray angrily rattled a mugful of pebbles that she said were passed off as the remains of her brother.

"All I wanted to do is give him a proper death," said Bray, of Chattanooga, Tenn. "This is what I got."

Bray was among dozens of people who lined up to give blood samples at a civic center down the road from Tri-State, where teams resumed a full-scale search for more bodies. Investigators said there was no end in sight to the grim discoveries.

The body count stood at 306, and only 65 of the corpses have been positively identified. Authorities said 39 sets of remains had been returned to families or funeral homes.

Eddie Young drove from Crystal River, Fla., because he feared the body of his mother, who died in November, was left to decompose on the grounds. He said he hoped a DNA match would bring him peace.

"I know her soul went to heaven, but to think that my mother might be out there -- it's so hard to accept," he said. "We had our closure through the funeral, and now it's like it's reopened."

Thousands of families have filled out forms or called with information since the first corpses were found Feb. 15.

Still in jail

The operator of the crematory, Ray Brent Marsh, remained in jail on 16 theft-by-deception charges for allegedly accepting bodies for cremation and leaving them to rot. A judge was deciding whether he should be allowed to go free on bail.

Authorities have declined to answer questions about the investigation since Thursday, when a judge imposed a gag order at the request of Marsh's lawyer.