Tri-State Crematory

Tri-State Crematory was a facility in Walker County that served death care providers across three neighboring states until 2002, when hundreds of unprocessed human remains were found on the grounds. The entire operation occupied a large parcel of rural land where remains had been stored instead of being cremated as families believed.

Tommy Marsh founded the operation in the 1970s and built it into a business serving funeral directors in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. His son Ray Brent Marsh took over operations and later faced a major criminal investigation that resulted in the closure in 2002.

The events at this location led to significant changes in how Americans view and regulate death care services across multiple states.

The entire site is closed to the public and was demolished years ago. No structures or markers remain to identify the former location.

Investigators uncovered 339 uncremated bodies scattered across the property in February 2002. This discovery led to more than 700 criminal counts against the operator and prompted sweeping changes to oversight of death care services in several states.