Kennesaw man charged with concealing death in connection to discovery of decomposing body

Thomas Hartwell, Marietta Daily Journal, Ga.
·2 min read

Oct. 12—A Kennesaw man is behind bars and accused of concealing a death and other charges in connection to the discovery of a decomposing body in a dumpster behind a business in the city.

Police arrested Garfield Royes Norris, 52, on Tuesday afternoon. Norris remains in jail on felony charges of concealing a death and possession of methamphetamine, as well as misdemeanors of removing or affixing a license plate with intent to conceal vehicle identity and theft by conversion.

He is being held at the Cobb jail without bond, jail records show.

Preliminary identification of the victim has been made, according to Cobb Police Sgt. Wayne Delk, but investigators are working to get "a true positive identification," as well as notify next of kin before the identity will be released to the public.

Cobb Police say the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office and Atlanta Police assisted Cobb in the investigation, which is ongoing.

Cobb County homicide investigators were called in after the body of an adult man was found in a dumpster at 195 Chastain Meadows Court on Saturday afternoon, according to an earlier news release from Cobb Police.

Police said at that time investigators were working to find a cause of death.

The Cobb County Medical Examiner's Office also responded to the scene and took jurisdiction of the body.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Cobb Police investigators at 770-499-3987 or cobbpolicecrimetips@cobbcounty.org.

Jail records also show Norris is being held in the Cobb jail for the Cherokee Sheriff's Office, but neither Cobb nor Cherokee authorities have explained why yet.

However, a Cherokee County warrant obtained by the MDJ shows that Norris is accused of removing a mattress from a shelf inside the Walmart on Bells Ferry Road and using a receipt from a previous purchase to return the mattress for a refund of $143.

"Garfield did not own the mattress, and deceitfully used it to garner a fraudulent return," the warrant reads.

Follow Thomas Hartwell on Twitter at twitter.com/MDJThomas.