Relatives surprised at discovery of skeletal remains

By Andria Simmons

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Relatives of a 49-year-old man whose skeletal remains were found Thursday underneath an abandoned mobile home say his death was probably an accident.

Wesley T. McMurray Sr., 81,  said he knows of no one who would have wanted to harm his son, Wesley T. McMurray Jr.

The younger McMurray had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was known to disappear on occasion, although never for long periods of time. He was living with his mother in Lawrenceville when he went missing March 28.

Relatives feared he had become lost or hurt, but they hoped he was still alive, the elder McMurray said.

"It was a surprise to us," McMurray said. "He was a son we truly loved."

McMurray said his son was "smart as he could be," but unemployed and unable to be self-sufficient due to his mental problems. He never married and did not have children, his father said. When the younger McMurray left his mother's home, he left all his medication behind, according to the missing person report.

Investigators are still trying to determine how McMurray died. Dental records and identification found at the scene were used to identify the body after a demolition crew discovered it Thursday morning. The crew was tearing down the mobile home, located a short distance off Old Peachtree Road near Lawrenceville Suwanee Road, to make way for future road construction.

Police are still trying to identify a second set of human remains found Monday near Norcross. The body of a woman was found ff Forest Drive Road near Norcross. Police estimate that the remains had been there for about six months. Foul play is suspected in her death, police said.