Crocker child murders

Elwyn Crocker Jr. and Mary Frances Crocker were siblings in Guyton, Georgia, a small city about 28 miles northwest of Savannah. Elwyn Jr. disappeared in November 2016 at age 14, and Mary disappeared in October 2018 at age 13. Their father, Elwyn Crocker Sr., and stepmother, Candice Crocker, had withdrawn both children from South Effingham Middle School, telling officials the children would be homeschooled. Neither disappearance was ever reported to authorities. In 2012, the couple had received counseling from Effingham County's Department of Family and Children Services following abuse reports involving Elwyn Jr.; the case was closed in 2013 after they completed therapy and parenting classes.

The children's disappearances came to light only after a family relative contacted police with a tip suggesting Mary was deceased. Following an interview with the children's father, investigators searched the family property and discovered human remains on December 20, 2018 — Mary's 14th birthday. Both children's bodies were found buried beneath cement and trash bags behind the house.

Investigators determined that both children had been starved, beaten, and kept in dog cages. Mary was reportedly punished for infractions such as not exercising or skipping chores, bound with zip ties, and shocked with a stun gun; a photograph documented her severe physical deterioration and bruising. Family members allegedly mixed rice vinegar into her food to make it less palatable, contributing to starvation, and forcibly restrained her against a ladder in an attempt to straighten her limbs. Elwyn Jr. was reportedly abused and starved in a similar manner.

Five adults from the household were arrested and charged: Elwyn Crocker Sr.; his wife Candice Crocker; Candice's mother, Kimberly Wright; Wright's companion, Roy Prater; and Candice's brother, Mark Anthony Wright. Charges included felony murder, concealing a death, and child cruelty, among others.

Roy Prater was the first to plead guilty, in February 2020, to murder and concealing a death, to avoid Georgia's death penalty. Candice Crocker pleaded guilty in October 2020 to murder, torture, sexual battery, and confining the children in dog crates; she agreed to testify against her husband, mother, and brother and received life without parole. Mark Wright pleaded guilty in early 2025 to second-degree murder, child cruelty, and concealing the children's deaths, and was later sentenced to 80 years. Kim Wright pleaded guilty in September 2025 under a negotiated deal requiring future testimony, receiving a life sentence without parole. Roy Prater died in state custody in February 2026 before formal sentencing.

Elwyn Crocker Sr., the principal suspect, pleaded guilty in April 2026 to murder, aggravated sexual battery, cruelty to children, false imprisonment, and concealing a death, in a deal removing the death penalty as an option; prosecutors cited evidentiary and witness-availability difficulties. He was sentenced to two terms of life without parole, one term of life with parole, and an additional 120 years' imprisonment. A child with cerebral palsy who also lived in the home was placed into the care of Effingham County social services at the time of the arrests.