TIFTON, Ga. (WALB) – Three employees of a Tifton monument company are facing more than 100 felony and misdemeanor charges. They are accused of taking thousands of dollars from families who paid for headstones but never received them.

Emmett Cameron Eaton and Emmett Fred Eaton, a son and his father, were arrested Saturday. Investigators said they are the owners of Tifton Monument and Memorials and Eaton Memorials LLC. Amanda Aubrey, the company secretary, was also arrested.

Cameron faces 46 felony theft with conversion charges and 21 misdemeanor theft with conversion charges.

His father faces 45 felony theft with conversion charges and 22 misdemeanor theft with conversion charges.

Aubrey faces just 26 felony theft by conversion charges and 22 misdemeanor theft by conversion charges.

More than 60 families initially lodged complaints at Tifton Magistrates’ Court, saying they had gone years without seeing their loved ones paid for headstones. This then led the Tift County Sheriff’s Office to open an investigation against the two Tifton memorial companies.

Now, investigators say the death toll is rising, with more families filing complaints daily.

“It really felt like he died the second time we found out he wasn’t going to get the headstone,” said Kelsie Hunt, a Tifton resident who says her family is devastated.

Hunt buried his grandfather Roger Dale Wright in February 2023 after he lost his battle with Alzheimer’s and dementia. She said she was never ready to lose him, but she also wasn’t ready to go a year without a proper memorial for his grave.

“It’s too much for people to go through in their darkest times,” she said.

Hunt said she wanted the headstone to represent her grandfather, which is why her family was willing to pay extra for two plaques and a special tractor design.

Eaton Memorial LLC quoted Hunt’s family about $13,000 after they signed a contract. However, the family only paid a $5,000 deposit before realizing their order would never be honored.

Two months before Eaton Memorials was charged, a post was shared on the business’s Facebook page.

Susan Keene, a grieving mother who also says she never received the order, tells WALB she knew after seeing the post that something was wrong.

Her son Derek Ball was buried in November 2023. His grave is still empty with no headstone or marble plaque. Now he’s helping other families take their grievances to victim’s advocates.

At this point, investigators say it’s unclear whether the families will be let out of their contracts with the companies and reimbursed for the lost money.

“It’s heartbreaking to visit. because I feel he doesn’t have what he deserves. Let’s be deluded or I don’t know what we are, but I think we deserve some kind of answer,” Keene said.

In Georgia, felony theft by conversion convictions can lead to 12 months in prison, while a felony conviction can lead to up to 10 years in prison. Investigators said they are not sure at this time if both businesses are still operating.

All three suspects were released under special conditions. WALB News 10 is Lenah Allen has contacted the business and is awaiting a response.

“This is inhumane. This is not right and these people need to be brought to justice,” Hunt said.

District Attorney Bryce Johnson tells WALB he cannot comment on a pending investigation, but hopes to present the case to a grand jury on Jan. 13.

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