Found Deceased SC - Duncan Alexander Burrell-Gordon, Fell Into Shredder at Recycling Plant, Greer

[citizen_sleuth]

I just can’t wrap my head around how only 2 oz of flesh was found. No one saw blood spatter? Hair? I find it really hard to believe he just fell into the shredder without a trace. I would imagine there would be blood spatter everywhere since he was alive when he fell into the machine. IMO someone—maybe another employee or someone from management—panicked and cleaned it up as best they could because they feared they would be charged or investigated by OSHA.

 

[annpats]

... I have so many questions..... What even ??

Exactly my thoughts. Or lack of thoughts.

I just can't comprehend any of this!!

 

[Vtgirl93]

why do I feel like there is foul play involved here. They should have stopped that machine as soon as they realized he is missing. Isn't that how it is supposed to be when you work in a warehouse to make sure the person isn't in the machine. I also feel like someone would have heard something or seen something if he just fell in.
I have way too many questions with this one. I have had them since I first heard about this case

 

[annpats]

Also, sorry to be graphic, but surely there wouldn't be 'just flesh' found, there would be bone shards or fragments somewhere too?

Thigh bones are big strong things!

And the blood! An human man's body holds on average 10 litres/5 pints/1.3 gallons of blood.

Where did all that blood go? It would have been a hell of a mess and a hell of a clean-up operation to get it all gone!!
I can't believe there was hardly anything left!!

The company must have done a really good cleaning job, almost forensically good.....

...,and I also have my doubts on the police forensics and investigation too!

MOO.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

Exactly my thoughts. Or lack of thoughts.

I just can't comprehend any of this!!

I just watched some videos on YouTube of dead pigs and cows being put into one of these shredders (if you’re interested, just search “cow in shredder” on YouTube and you should find them, but it’s quite graphic so fair warning!) and I find it so hard to believe that there wasn’t more blood or flesh found. Even more disturbing is that his remains undoubtedly got mixed in with all the plastic that is going to be recycled.

ETA: I also saw video of a man who fell into a shredder. Do not suggest watching it as it is incredibly disturbing but in that case, there were 2 other workers manning the machine and realized what had happened within 30 seconds of him falling in and shut off the machine. I feel like there should always be 2 people manning the machine to try and prevent situations like this from happening.

 

[annpats]

Even more disturbing is that his remains undoubtedly got mixed in with all the plastic that is going to be recycled.

Surely the company who received it the recycling debris at the other end should have noted it was covered in slime and juice and....oh my!.....and rejected it? Or called for a supervisor as it didn't look right?

Even if the employee just tipped it without looking into a new plastic making machine, surely the heat from this machine would have burnt any flesh, the bone shards would have become stuck in the melted plastic and you'd have a really sub-par product that wouldn't pass inspection?

Although I have a feeling that the company in Greer, SC cleaned up the machine and rinsed it all down and disposed of everything that came out if the other end before it even got a chance to go on to recycling.

MOO.

 

[cocomod]

This case is disturbing on many levels. The family alerts the police. It doesn't sound like police take it seriously for several weeks. The machine is not shut down or stopped. 60,000 pounds after he went missing?? His father was the supervisor the night he went missing. Only 2 oz recovered. Could they check the plastic that was shred after he went missing for additional evidence? Could he have staged his own disappearance and cut off a finger that was put in to the machine?? Strange question, I know. I just can't imagine that there wasn't more evidence as others have stated, like BLOOD, gore (to put it mildly)

 

[Vtgirl93]

I personally feel like someone covered something up...

 

[citizen_sleuth]

This case is disturbing on many levels. The family alerts the police. It doesn't sound like police take it seriously for several weeks. The machine is not shut down or stopped. 60,000 pounds after he went missing?? His father was the supervisor the night he went missing. Only 2 oz recovered. Could they check the plastic that was shred after he went missing for additional evidence? Could he have staged his own disappearance and cut off a finger that was put in to the machine?? Strange question, I know. I just can't imagine that there wasn't more evidence as others have stated, like BLOOD, gore (to put it mildly)

Wait, his father was the supervisor on the night he went missing?? I must have missed that part.

 

[annpats]

Wait, his father was the supervisor on the night he went missing?? I must have missed that part.

I read he worked there, but didn't know he was the supervisor!!! Oh my!! That's a new twist!!

 

[eeyorelrn]

Those industrial grinders and shredders they have in plants like that can shred metal to fine pieces in a mere minutes, I can only imagine how they will decimate a human body. Even the smaller industrial ones individuals can buy pack a mean punch. There are videos on YouTube that show what they can do. I do not find it hard to believe he fell in accidently, however I do find it hard to believe that all safety policies and precautions were in place. IMHO

 

[cocomod]

Wait, his father was the supervisor on the night he went missing?? I must have missed that part.

https://www.thestate.com/news/local/article263243493.html

The machine in question had been checked three times before the coroner’s investigators arrived at the plant June 14, Clevenger said. It had been checked by Gordon’s father, Mike Gordon, who is a supervisor at the plant,

 

[Elliot_Alderson]

This reminds me of the case of Eric Haider. He was working at a work site in the middle of nowhere when he disappeared. His coworkers claimed he was mad he didn't get a requested day off and left at lunch to cash his paycheck (which was found in his lunchbox at the work site -- there was nowhere nearby for him to even go cash his paycheck).

They ended up finding him shoddily buried at the worksite but nobody was ever charged. They tried to say it was just nobody paying attention to the hole they were filling in (yet they all left the work site early and none of them reported him missing). OSHA even said that their statue of limitations had expired. Nobody was ever held accountable. Pretty sure nobody here will be held accountable either.

 

[Dargon335]

Based on these recent updates it would appear Duncan is deceased. A few ounces of human tissue was found in the shredder and conveyor, and that tissue DNA reportedly matches his family DNA. If the reporting here is accurate, this is a tragic outcome for Duncan and his family.

As several others have asked in this thread, how could there not be visual evidence of human remains, blood spatters/trails, etc. in and around this equipment? Even if there were no visible clues of an accident like this, I would believe there would be very foul smells coming from this equipment after a few hours/days. No one at the facility noticed anything like that?

I find it both interesting and disturbing that the president of Industrial Recovery and Recycling could not be reached for comment about this situation. Given what may have occurred it's possible that owners and management of Industrial Recovery and Recycling have been advised to not make any statements to the media.

All of the above is MOO.

 

[typical_vacation]

Sorry if I missed this — but aren’t there cameras in the warehouse?

 

[Vtgirl93]

Sorry if I missed this — but aren’t there cameras in the warehouse?

there was a camera near the time clock and that was it.

 

[evilwise]

Seems like a case of the coroner not knowing exactly how to go about handling the case and the recycling company not being able to afford to shut down operations for months while he figured it out.

 

[cocomod]

Seems like a case of the coroner not knowing exactly how to go about handling the case and the recycling company not being able to afford to shut down operations for months while he figured it out.

I don't quite think that is the case. The coroner wasn't called in for quite some time. The police really dragged their feet and the plant refused to investigate. I have read the plant even fired his father when he talked to the press trying to get an investigation started.

 

[Dargon335]

I don't quite think that is the case. The coroner wasn't called in for quite some time. The police really dragged their feet and the plant refused to investigate. I have read the plant even fired his father when he talked to the press trying to get an investigation started.

BBM above.

If this is true, then it adds another layer of suspicion in my mind on the ownership and management of Industrial Recovery and Recycling.

We don't know what might be going on internally in this case, but so far it doesn't appear IR and R are being very forthcoming with information, and that could account for the limited information released so far. MOO.

 

[wendybtn]

After talking with my dear husband, who knows much more than myself about factory machinery and how things work, he stated he didn't think finding 2 ounces of "remains" from a machine like that was abnormal. He states that this type of machine does not spew things up and out. It pulls things down and into. It shreds things into tiny bits, easily packaged into recycled plastic. No one would necessarily notice at the other end. He also states once he was pulled in he was likely dead in seconds.