Horror details have emerged following the shock discovery of a pair of siblings found buried in the backyard of their family home in a small town in America.
The remains of 14-year-old Elwyn Crocker Jr and his 14-year-old sister Mary, who vanished two-and-a-half years apart, were unearthed behind a trailer in the farming village of Guyton, Georgia last week.
Their father, Elwyn Crocker, who was working as a Santa at the local Walmart store until just a few days ago, led police to the siblings' graves after deputies began searching his home following a tip-off.
"I've been doing this 41 years, and a while ago I almost broke down in tears," Effingham County Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie told reporters, his voice shaking.
"It's that bad. I cannot understand how you do children like this. It's horrible."
Investigators say Elwyn Crocker, 50, led police to the graves of his children Elwyn Jr and Mary after a tip-off compelled police to search his Georgia home. Photo / Effingham County Sheriff's Office
A third child, who has special needs, was found alive in the home and taken to hospital, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Crocker, who turned 50 on Christmas Day, has been charged with two counts of murder and a raft of child abuse offences.
The children's stepmother Candice Crocker, 33, her mother Kim Wright, 50 and Wright's boyfriend Roy Anthony Prater, 55, are being held on charges of concealing a death and child cruelty.
Sheriff McDuffie said Elwyn Jr, 14, was last seen two years ago while his sister Mary, who would have turned 14 this month, vanished in October but neither child was reported missing.
Police descended on the Crocker home on December 20 after receiving a 911 call from an individual concerned about the girl's whereabouts.
The missing teens were found buried behind a double-wide mobile home in the family's back yard. Investigators are still trying to determine how they died.
Stepmother Candice Crocker, 33, has been charged with concealing a death and child cruelty. Photo / Effingham County Sheriff's Office
The siblings had been enrolled at local schools but were withdrawn several years ago for home schooling.
After the identities of the victims were released, former neighbours and others who had contact with the family told reporters they had seen signs the children were being abused but failed to share their concerns with police.
Daniella Gills, 14, who used to ride bikes and have sleepovers with Mary, recalled seeing bruises on Elwyn Jr and redness in his sister's face. When Daniella visited Mary, she seemed nervous in her own home.
"She would never want me to leave her. If she went to the bathroom she would want me to go with her," Daniella toldThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "She wouldn't tell me why."
Elwyn, who used the nickname Junior, was sometimes made to sleep in a bathtub or a wardrobe as punishment for alleged misbehaviour, Daniella said.
Her father, Marvin Gills, said the family had a lock on their refrigerator, which Mr Crocker and his wife told him was there to stop Mary, a diabetic, from sneaking sweets.
Mr Gills said the stepmother and her relatives would often complain about the behaviour of Mary and Elwyn Jr, which he couldn't understand because he had always found them to be respectful and generally "awesome".
Former schoolmate and neighbour Gary Bennett said classmates suspected Mary was being worked unusually hard at home.
"Other kids said at school they could tell stuff was wrong with her hands. They were red," he told WTOC. "That was from being out in the yard, out there most of the time working."
Elwyn Crocker Jr, 14, (left) vanished two years ago while his sister Mary, 13, was last seen in October. Their bodies were found buried in their father's backyard on December 20. Photo / Supplied
Police are now trying to track down the siblings' biological mother, who is believed to be homeless in South Carolina.
An unnamed relative told local TV station WSAV3 that Mr Crocker fought for and won full custody of the children because the mother barely involved herself in their lives.
The relative, who lives in South Carolina, said she called the mother as soon as police delivered the news about Elwyn and Mary.
"When I spoke to her she wasn't very talkative; she was in shock, she was in complete utter shock, which I can imagine," she told the station.
"She said, 'Is this about my kids?' and I said, 'Yes,' and she said, 'I already know' and I was like, 'Well I am here if you need anything.'"
The family member said she was shocked when she saw Mr Crocker's police mugshot because he looked so different from the person she used to know.
"When I saw the pictures of him when he was arrested from the news stories, I mean his hair is completely different, his eyes were black, I mean it was like evil in his eyes he does not look like the same person I ever remember," she told WSAV3.
Mr Crocker and his three co-accused were refused bail to remain in custody until their next court hearing while investigations continue.
