Human Remains Found Behind Home Belong To Attorney

ALPHARETTA, GA — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab has identified the remains found earlier this month on property in extreme southeast Cherokee County.

The remains have been identified as belonging to 58-year-old Gary Farris, who was the homeowner of the residence at 2155 Purcell Lane, Cherokee Sheriff's Office spokesperson Sgt. Marianne Kelley said Friday.

Farris was a prominent attorney with the law firm Burr Forman. He served as the chair of Burr Forman's Lending Practice Group, "focusing on representing commercial lenders with respect to loan originations, syndications, workouts, and recovery," the firm's website states.

Detectives with the Cherokee Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division continue to investigate the discovery, which they are treating as a homicide, she added. These investigators continue to gather and process evidence and follow up on any leads generated in the case. The remains were found July 5 by the property owners in a wooded area behind the home.

"The Sheriff’s Office is confident that this is not a stranger-on-stranger crime and Mr. Farris knew the suspect(s)," Sgt. Marianne Kelley said.

According to the firm's page, Farris was the founder of the firm's Atlanta office, which opened in 1995. Farris practice law since 1988, and has represented many large banks and lending companies. Eric Durlacher, a partner with the law firm, said the organization is "devastated by this news and mourn (sic) the loss of our colleague and friend."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Gary’s family and friends, including everyone here at Burr," Durlacher said. "We understand there is an ongoing investigation into the cause of Gary’s death, so it would be inappropriate for us to speculate or comment at this time. We intend to cooperate with the investigation, while protecting attorney-client confidences."

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