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Police unearth human remains in concrete
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ATLANTA — Twin brothers were arrested after investigators unearthed a body in a plastic container, encased in concrete and buried in the yard of a northeast Georgia home, and authorities believe the remains may belong to a missing Florida man.

Christopher and William Cormier, 31-year-old twins who previously lived in Pensacola, both were charged with concealing a death, Winder police said.

The Georgia investigation began after police in the northwest Florida city contacted Winder authorities about a missing person, Winder and Pensacola police said Tuesday.

Sean Dugas, 30, had not been heard from since Aug. 27, when he and a female friend talked by phone and made plans to go to lunch the next day, Pensacola police said. When the woman arrived to pick him up for lunch, he wasn’t home, Pensacola police Capt. David Alexander said.

A man who lived at the house told the woman Dugas should be back at 3 p.m. She left a note asking him to contact her, but he never did. She tried unsuccessfully to reach Dugas during the next few days, and when she returned to the house Sept. 7, it was empty except for a television, Alexander said. Neighbors told her a U-Haul truck was there Sept. 3 and they saw at least one man removing things.

When neighbors asked the man about Dugas, he replied that Dugas had been beaten and was going to live with him, Alexander said. The female friend continued to try to reach Dugas and called police Sept. 13.

Officers investigating the missing person case developed leads that led them to Winder, where they contacted police Monday. Winder is about 45 miles northeast of Atlanta.

Dugas once worked as a reporter for the Pensacola News Journal, police said. He had covered a wide variety of topics, including breaking news and entertainment, and became well-known in the community, the newspaper said on its website.

Pensacola police said they believe there is a connection between Dugas’ disappearance and the body found in Winder, but they could not confirm Tuesday that the remains belonged to Dugas. The Barrow County coroner’s office said the case was under investigation and did not release the identity of person whose body was found.

Winder police found the body at a home that Pensacola police had identified. It’s being rented by the Cormier twins’ father, who told police his sons had arrived from Florida about three weeks ago. They told him they were supposed to take care of their missing friend’s dog. However, they supposedly ended up killing the dog and burying it in their father’s backyard, police said.

Winder police got a search warrant to investigate an area in the yard that appeared to have been recently disturbed. They found a human body that recently been encased in a plastic storage container filled with concrete.

Police were awaiting the results of a Tuesday autopsy to determine the victim’s identity and a possible cause of death. Police say additional charges are possible.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is assisting in the investigation.

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