71-year-old found dead in hand-dug grave, Alabama cops say. Now kids face murder charges
A cemetery worker was perusing the grounds of an Alabama graveyard when they came upon a hand-dug grave in May, WBRC reported. Despite being in a cemetery, the burial was immediately suspicious.
The last time a grave was dug in the cemetery was over a century ago, deputies told WBRC.
Inside the new grave was the decomposing body of a 71-year-old man who was later identified as Thomas Lee Creel, deputies said, prompting a homicide investigation.
After months of investigation, the Chilton County Sheriff’s Office announced on July 26 that it arrested two juvenile males in connection with the homicide, who now face murder and first-degree robbery charges. The ages of the juveniles or their names were not released.
“It was unbelievable because who would have thought that somebody in their own home would be targeted like this.” Creel’s niece Jenny Bell told WBRC. “Unfortunately, he was brutally killed by two young kids. He didn’t deserve it.”
Creel was born in Gulfport, Mississippi, and lived in Jemison, Alabama, according to his obituary.
Another of Creel’s nieces, Amelia Creel, said on Facebook that her uncle was an “extremely private and solitary person,” which may have been why he wasn’t reported missing before officials found his body.
“His companions were the animals and trees, and the peace he found hiking in the woods of the farm where I grew up,” Amelia Creel said on Facebook. “With things in this day and age how they are, can you really blame him?”
Chilton County Sheriff John Shearon said that Thomas Creel had issues with the suspects coming onto his property previously, but did not provide a motive for the crime, WBRC reported.
McClatchy News reached out to the Chilton County Sheriff’s Office for comment and is awaiting a response.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact Sgt. Jennifer Bland at 205-755-4698 or jennifer.bland@chiltoncountyso.org.
Jemison is about 45 miles south of Birmingham.
This story was originally published July 27, 2022 at 1:53 PM with the headline "71-year-old found dead in hand-dug grave, Alabama cops say. Now kids face murder charges."
