The body found encased in concrete in Winder is that of a 30-year-old Pensacola, Fla., journalist, the GBI said Friday.
“A GBI forensic pathologist used dental and facial bone CT scans and surgically implanted dental hardware serial numbers to make the identification,” John Bankhead, GBI spokesman, said.
Investigators have arrested the men accused of killing Sean Christopher Dugas. But have not yet determined where Dugas died.
Dugas was reported missing Sept. 13, but was last seen by friends Aug. 27, according to Pensacola police. The missing person case led Pensacola police to contact Winder police, who began an investigation Monday.
Late Monday, investigators used heavy equipment to dig up a concrete-filled section of the backyard, where they found a body placed in a plastic container and entombed in concrete. The homeowner's twin sons were taken into custody Monday evening.
The following day, the case became a homicide investigation after an autopsy determined the person was killed by blunt force trauma to the back of the head.
Even without a positive identification on the body, police on Wednesday afternoon charged Christopher Lynn and William Joseph Cormier with murder and concealing a death, according to Winder police. Both remained Friday in the Barrow County jail, where they were being held without bond.
Although investigators in Georgia and Florida have said they believed the remains belonged to Dugas, the identification process was delayed until medical and dental records arrived at the GBI crime lab.
Dugas and the Cormiers, who previously lived in Pensacola, were acquaintances likely through a comic book shop in Florida because they were all involved in a trading card game. The Cormiers were seen Sept. 3 loading items into a U-Haul truck at Dugas’s home, according to police.
The twins arrived at their father’s Winder home with a U-Haul about three weeks ago.
Dugas worked from 2005 until 2010 at the Pensacola News Journal, where he began as a clerk before becoming a reporter. Known for his quirky style and personality, Dugas enjoyed covering entertainment stories, a former co-worker said.
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