A suspect has been arrested days after a man’s body was found decomposing inside a dumpster in Cobb County.
Authorities on Tuesday arrested 52-year-old Garfield Royes Norris of Kennesaw on charges related to the discovery of the body. They have not charged him directly with causing the man’s death.
The body was dumped behind a business in the 100 block of Chastain Meadows Court near Kennesaw, according to Cobb police spokesman Sgt. Wayne Delk. When officers arrived at the scene about 2:20 p.m. Saturday, they discovered the body had already begun decomposing.
The body had been in the dumpster since at least Friday, according to a Cobb arrest warrant. The warrant said Norris wrapped the man in layers of plastic, tarps and cardboard and then placed him in the dumpster.
Norris then took the victim’s car, a black BMW, and tried to pass it off as his own with a fraudulent temporary tag and a fake bill of sale that had been printed Friday, the warrant said.
Police said it is not clear exactly how the victim died. Authorities also did not say in what condition the man’s body was found.
The Cobb Medical Examiner’s Office took the body for an autopsy and was expected to make an identification.
Norris is charged with concealing a death, possession of methamphetamine, theft by conversion and removing or affixing a license plate with intent to conceal or misrepresent.
The death remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Cobb police at 770-499-3987 or by email at cobbpolicecrimetips@cobbcounty.org.
