IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. — Police are investigating whether a body found buried in what appears to be a makeshift grave site in Iredell County may be a man who has been reported missing.
[PHOTOS: Iredell Co. investigators find boy buried in makeshift grave]
Statesville police investigators, while acting on information obtained during their investigation into the disappearance of Darwin Turner, searched a wooded area behind some mobile homes along Mahogany Road on Monday and said they found what appeared to be a body buried in a “rudimentary grave site.”
“The not knowing is what's been hurtful,” said Amanda Roseboro, the mother of Turner’s 7-year-old daughter.
Roseboro is certain that Turner would never go more than a day without calling.
“When all them days went by and he didn't reach out, I knew something wasn't right,” Roseboro said. “It’s hurtful, for me and my daughter, because she tells me every day she misses her daddy.”
Police said the grave looked like it had been recently made.
Several deputies are at the scene where authorities discovered remains in a makeshift grave last night in Statesville @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/Bi5R6MeHaL
— Brittney Johnson (@BrittneyWSOC9) March 28, 2017
On Tuesday, investigators with the Statesville Police Department and the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, with the help of the SBI, began excavation of the site in order to determine if, in fact, someone had been buried there.
Authorities said it is still too early to determine if the body is Turner, and police were at the crime scene throughout the day.
Turner hasn't been seen since March 16. His family was at the scene, hoping for answers.
Relatives collapsed with grief as the coroner drove off with a body.
“It’s a sad, sad day,” Roseboro said.
Relatives of Darwin "DJ" Turner are near the scene waiting to learn if he is the person found in the grave. They've been searching for days. pic.twitter.com/Bus03BAbeF
— Brittney Johnson (@BrittneyWSOC9) March 28, 2017
Turner’s aunt, Tanza Turner, had a message for the community supporting them.
“All we need now is for you to continue to pray with and for us. If it is him, give us the respect to be able to find peace and closure,” she said.
Turner’s family said they don’t know why anyone would want to hurt him, despite his troubled past.
Turner served time for robbery and assault. Since he’s been out of jail, he's been working with a local bail bondsman, trying to find steady work and stay on the right path.
(Click PLAY to watch Brittney Johnson's Facebook Live from the scene)
MISSING MAN/HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION: Investigators search scene where they found remains in a makeshift grave in Statesville
Posted by Brittney Johnson on Tuesday, March 28, 2017
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