CNN.com - Georgia crematory operator denied bond

LAFAYETTE, Georgia (CNN) -- The operator of a northwest Georgia crematory accused of dumping hundreds of bodies instead of cremating them will remain in jail after a judge Monday denied his request for bond.

Ray Brent Marsh, 28, was in court seeking bond on 102 new counts of theft by deception. Those charges were filed last Tuesday after Walker County Chief Magistrate William J. Day granted Marsh $100,000 bail on 16 earlier charges. Marsh was wearing a suit, and did not appear to have on the bulletproof vest he wore in a previous hearing.

Authorities searching the wooded grounds of the Tri-State Crematory in Noble have not found any new remains in the past six days. The count stands at 339 bodies, and of those, 94 have been identified.

Marsh's attorney, Ken Poston, argued that nothing had changed since Day granted that bond and that Marsh is not a flight risk or a threat to the community.

Day said that the new charges and the threat of additional charges would put additional pressure on Marsh.

"I look and think, 'would I stay around for this if I had all of these (charges) facing me and not knowing what's coming tomorrow ... and I'm not sure if I could answer that I would," Day said. "I don't know that there would be any reason for me to, anything to keep me from trying to flee the jurisdiction."

During the hearing, Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson said he continued to be concerned about Marsh's safety if he was released.

District Attorney Herbert "Buzz" Franklin alluded to pictures of decomposing bodies that he said were found on Marsh's computer at the crematory, but gave no further details.

Investigators plan to start draining a lake on Marsh's property, possibly as early as Monday. A human skull and torso have already been found in the 3-acre, 6-million-gallon lake

The draining, which should take 48 to 72 hours, will be done by a vacuum siphon, a large version of the small rubber tubes used to drain household aquariums. The main tubes are 8 inches in diameter.

Water will be siphoned into the lake's tributaries, which flow into reservoirs not used for public drinking water.

Excavation will not begin until the lake bed is completely dried -- a process expected to take about two weeks -- and authorities said they will use as much care as in an archeological dig to search for bodies in the dried mud.

Thirty funeral homes in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee had sent bodies to the crematory during a two-decade span. Legal experts said the facility escaped regulation because it did not do business directly with the public, working instead through funeral homes.

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency has estimated the final cost of the recovery and investigation, which could last months, will cost the state $9.4 million. A GEMA statement said it is working with federal emergency management officials and Georgia's congressional delegation to press for federal aid.