Investigators were scouring the woods and storage sheds near a crematorium in Georgia for a third consecutive day Sunday, looking for bodies. Nearly 100 corpses have been found near the facility since Friday.

The crematorium's operator, Ray Brent Marsh, was arrested Saturday and charged with theft by deception for taking payment for cremations he didn't perform.

He spent the night in jail and was released after posting a $25,000 bond.

The 28-year-old man told authorities the incinerator had not worked for some time, said John Bankhead, a spokesman for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson said some of the bodies were dumped in the woods years ago, and some were placed there just recently.

"We began locating skeletal remains of individuals throughout the wooded area," he told reporters Sunday. "Some were in coffins, some were just strewn about the top of the ground."

Ray Brent Marsh

Authorities said they expect to recover at least 200 bodies from the grounds. They will be extending the search to a lake on the six-hectare property.

A makeshift morgue has been set on the site up to help people identify family members. At least 16 bodies were positively identified on the weekend.

Officials are requesting federal assistance and equipment to help in the recovery process that has overwhelmed local resources.

Funeral homes in Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama had all delivered bodies to Tri-State Crematory, which is located in the small community of Nobel, 137 kilometres northwest of Atlanta.