A Georgia man has pleaded guilty to his role in the horrific murders and backyard burials of his teenage niece and nephew, a case that involved multiple family members, including the children’s father and grandmother.
Mark Wright entered a guilty plea in late August to charges including second-degree murder, cruelty to children, and concealing a death. His admission is part of a disturbing family conspiracy that led to the deaths of 14-year-old Mary Crocker and her 14-year-old brother, Elwyn Crocker Jr.
The children’s father, Elwyn Crocker Sr.—who worked as a Walmart Santa Claus—is facing the death penalty alongside the children’s mother, Candice Crocker. The kids’ grandmother, Kim Wright, has already pleaded guilty to murder.
The case unraveled in December 2018 after a tip about Mary’s disappearance led police to question Crocker Sr. He directed them to his backyard in Effingham County, where investigators unearthed the remains of both children.
Shockingly, neither child had ever been reported missing. Elwyn Jr. had vanished in November 2016, and Mary was last seen alive in October 2018.
The prosecution’s case is bolstered by chilling text messages between the accused. After allegedly causing Mary to starve to death, Crocker Sr. texted his mother-in-law, Kim Wright, that he was “Almost done burying Mary’s.”
Her reply was utterly devoid of concern: “Cool! How deep?”
In another exchange, Crocker Sr. expressed paranoia as he buried his daughter, texting Wright, “There was a car driving by, driving by very slowly… I think it was a cop.”
Medical testimony revealed the extreme abuse Mary endured. A forensic pathologist testified her body mass index was a critically low 8.6, stating, “I’ve never seen such a low number.” She was determined to have starved to death. Due to the advanced decomposition of Elwyn Jr.’s remains, his exact cause of death could not be determined, but both were ruled homicides.
The family had prior contact with the Division of Family and Children Services before the gruesome discovery was made.
Mark Wright is scheduled to be sentenced in October and faces up to 80 years in prison. The trials for Elwyn and Candice Crocker are pending.
