Here’s what we know so far about the Brunswick, Georgia trailer park killings. Early on the morning of Saturday, August 29th, police received a 911 call from Margaret Orlinski, a neighbor of the Heinze family. Orlinski was calling at the behest of Guy Heinze Jr, who said he had returned home that morning to discover that his entire family had been brutally beaten.
Seven members of the Heinze family were already dead, and Guy Heinze Jr.’s cousin Michael Toler, who had Down’s Syndrome, would die the following day. Orlinski soon handed the phone off to a very distraught Guy Heinze Jr., who said, “I just got home and my whole family is dead.” The first part of Guy Heinze Jr.s conversation with the 911 dispatcher follows.
Guy Heinze Jr.: I just got home and my whole family is dead.
Dispatcher: OK. Tell me what’s going on, sir.
GHJ: I was out last night and just got home, and everybody’s dead. My daddy’s dead. My uncle is dead.
Dispatcher: How many people are there?
GHJ: There’s like six. My whole family’s dead. Looks like they been beat to death. I don’t know man.
Dispatcher: OK. You’re 147 Hope Plantation, correct?
GHJ: Yeah, man. I mean, I don’t know what to do man.
Dispatcher: OK. Take a deep breath. The guy’s coming for you. Stay on the line, OK? It’s in slot number 147, right?
GHJ: Yes ma’am. I don’t know what to do ma’am.
The website of a local newspaper has the entire 911 call tht you can listen to. In addition to Margaret Orlinski and Guy Heinze Jr., a maintenance worker at the trailer park later gets on the call. A full transcript of the call can be found here (.pdf).
Later in the call, Heinze returned to the phone once again. When asked, “When you came in the house, what did the house look like?,” Heinze replied, “it looks like a (bleep)ing murder scene.”
Authorities finally arrived and removed Guy Heinze Jr.’s cousin 19-year-old Michael Toler, who had been severely beaten, but was still alive, to the hospital. He died the next day.
Mystery still surrounds Guy Heinze Jr.’s possible involvement with the crime. He was arrested the following day and charges with possession of prescription drugs and marijuana, tampering with evidence, and obstruction of justice. The tampering with evidence charge is tied to his removal of a shotgun from the residence. None of the victims are believed to have been killed by gunfire. The obstruction of justice charge concerns his lying to police about his whereabouts the previous night.
Statements from the police are thus far confusing and difficult to parse. Local Police Chief Matt Doering has stated that Guy Heinze Jr. was co-operative, and was not currently considered a suspect. The FBI has been called in to help with the physical evidence in the case.
Doering has said that more than one person may be involved in the killings. The trailer home was owned by Russell “Rusty” Toler, the half-brother of Guy Heinze Sr., a long-haul trucker.
