Police Find Missing Anna Man's Body In Field
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ANNA (CBSDFW.COM) - Police have discovered a man's body in a field located in the Collin County city of Anna. Officials identified the victim as 43-year-old Anthony Taylor Gurley. He was an employee at a combined KFC and Taco Bell restaurant that is right next to the field.
The discovery was made at about 2:45 a.m. early Tuesday morning. A police officer was driving past the area when he noticed a foul smell. The officer stopped his car, got out and began to look around. During a search of the field, near the intersection of Highway 75 and West White Street, he stumbled upon Gurley's body.
"That was just good police work on his part," stated Lt. Jeff Caponera with the Anna Police Department. "Lot of people would have just assumed it was an animal and not given a second clue. But him, having knowledge we were missing two people, and the efforts he put in, led to the revelation that it was remains."
Gurley was reported missing on September 18. Caponera said that he likely died several days ago, but it is still too early to tell how. For now, the death is being treated as suspicious, although there were no immediate signs of foul play. It may be a couple more weeks before they know more about how Gurley died.
According to police, Gurley suffered from bipolar disorder, and left work early on the day that he disappeared. He told others that he was not feeling well. After he vanished, Gurley's photo was posted on the door of the restaurant where he worked. And the man's ID was found with him when his body was discovered, Caponera said.
Gurley's body was found about 100 feet away from the street, in a patch of tall grass. Investigators continued to comb over the field afterward, looking for additional evidence that may help determine what happened to Gurley when he died. Surveillance cameras from the restaurant may have also captured some clues about this case.
