Relief workers found a human skull and torso in a lake on the grounds of a Georgia crematory last night as fears grew the number of corpses dumped would increase further.
Federal, state and local investigators started searching the sprawling 16-acre Tri-State Crematory in Noble, about 100 miles northwest of Atlanta, last Friday. A total of 206 corpse have been found so far.
"I don't know if there are other bodies in the lake, but I do know that we are going to drain it," Mr Gary McConnell, director of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, said.
He said investigators did not yet know the depth of the lake, which sits several hundred yards away from a house belonging to Mr Ray Brent Marsh (28), who has run the business since taking over from his father in the 1990s.
Dozens of corpses, some covered in sheets and others simply dumped haphazardly, have been found buried in the past two days in the area surrounding Marsh's house.
Mr Marsh, who has told investigators that his incinerator had broken down, has been charged with 16 counts of theft by deception for taking payment for cremations never performed. He is being held in a local jail. If convicted, Marsh could be sentenced to between one and 15 years on each theft charge.
Dr Kris Sperry, Georgia's chief medical examiner, noted none of the remains found so far showed signs of intentional mutilation. Dr Sperry said investigators expected to find more corpses when they begin opening five vaults discovered at the crematory.