Brothers Dig Up Grandfather’s Remains in Basement, Uncover Decades of Family Secrets

On the eve of Halloween 2018, what began as a months-long home excavation ended with a chilling discovery: bones and rags several feet beneath the basement floor of a Lake Grove, Long Island, house. Chris Carroll — helping his brother, Mike Carroll Jr. — called out, 'Dad, I think I found something.' Their elderly father, Michael Carroll, had started the digging but needed help after a recent stroke.

Discovery and Identification

The remains were later identified as those of George Carroll, a U.S. Army Korean War veteran who vanished in 1963 when his son was an infant. What had been a family mystery for more than five decades suddenly became a criminal investigation. Authorities ruled George’s death a homicide after forensic examiners found fractures to his skull consistent with blunt-force trauma.

A Family Haunted by Questions

For decades, George’s disappearance lingered in the family’s history. Dorothy Carroll, his widow, would tell her children he had 'gone out for cigarettes and just never came back.' Rumors suggested he might have left to start another life, and George was never formally reported missing. The family internalized the uncertainty — and, in time, suspicion.

Psychic Tip and the Decision to Dig

In 2010, Jean Kennedy, one of George’s children, consulted a psychic who told her George had been murdered and buried in the basement. Skeptical at first, her brother Mike later began excavating the property he had purchased from their mother. What he uncovered confirmed their worst fears and reopened wounds that forensic reports and police actions could not fully heal.

Suspicions and Family Strain

The Carroll siblings suspected their stepfather, Richard Darress — a handyman who later lived in the house and who married Dorothy after George's disappearance — might have been involved. The siblings alleged Darress was abusive and that some girls in the family suffered sexual assault. Darress, who died in June 2018 at age 77, denied public scrutiny, and some members of the family have continued to defend Dorothy despite media speculation.

'No matter who your dad is, you love your dad. You don't want to believe anything tough about your dad,' director Patricia E. Gillespie said, describing the difficult loyalties embodied by Darress's son, Richie, who ultimately supported his half-siblings.

From Excavation to Documentary

Patricia E. Gillespie, a New York filmmaker, discovered the Carrolls' story in a local paper and followed the family through the excavation and its emotional aftermath. Her Investigation Discovery documentary, The Secrets We Bury, chronicles the months-long search, the police investigation, and how the family sought closure. George was reinterred with military honors at a national cemetery on Long Island on October 25, 2019.

Unanswered Questions and a Family's Need to Grieve

While the discovery solved the question of where George’s remains were, many questions remain unresolved. Several key witnesses had died by the time the bones were found, and police say they may never be able to determine precisely how he died. For the Carroll family, filling the hole in the basement and laying George to rest offered a form of closure — but also raised deeper questions about trauma, memory, and loyalty that the documentary explores.

Key Dates: Bones discovered October 30, 2018; Richard Darress died June 2018; George Carroll reburied October 25, 2019; documentary premiered December 16 (Investigation Discovery).