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1 following this caseWritten by: E. George
Published November 8, 2024 @ 11:40 AM ET
COBB COUNTY, Ga. – Authorities arrested seven individuals after finding the mummified remains of a 71-year-old man inside his Smyrna home on Tuesday, October 1, 2024. Police said Robert Westbrook had been deceased for approximately three months.
One day after Cobb County Police officers discovered Westbrook’s body, they returned to his residence regarding suspicious people on his property. Interviews with the four suspects, 32-year-old Kristina Coleman, 41-year-old Michael Collins, 42-year-old Jarvis Ruff, and 45-year-old Cherann Cargle, quickly determined that the suspects had stolen the victim’s banking statements, blank checks, credit cards, and will, along with his computer, jewelry, personal photographs, and audio equipment.
Officers transported the suspects to the Cobb County Jail, where they face felony burglary charges. Coleman faces five additional charges related to credit card theft and one possession of a controlled substance charge, while Ruff was also charged with probation violation.
Sergeant Eric Smith said evidence revealed that people were living in the residence; however, “we don’t know if those arrested were the ones that were living in the home.”
Suspects also stole Westbrook’s vehicle. Officers found his 2015 Nissan on October 3, 2024, at a gas station in Smyrna with three additional suspects: 35-year-old Karla Salazar, 36-year-old Sergio Gonzalez, and 56-year-old Anthony Manzella.
Salazar faces charges of credit card fraud and possessing meth, Manzella of credit card theft, and Gonzalez of credit card fraud and identity fraud. Only one of the seven suspects, Cargle, has been released from jail on a $7,500 bond.
Attorney Matt Flournoy of Marietta explained that he knew Westbrook from the city’s Kiwanis Club. He described the victim as “very friendly [and] very community-minded; everybody liked him.”
Flournoy said Westbrook, a Honolulu, Hawaii native, earned his diploma from Marietta High School. He had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, which affected his arm.
Westbrook attended the First United Methodist Church of Marietta and embarked on several journeys to Central America. His father served in the Navy.
This investigation is active and ongoing.