SPRINGFIELD, Ga. — The estate of Elwyn John Crocker Jr., one of two siblings found buried behind their family’s Effingham County home in 2018, has sued four former school officials, alleging they failed to notify local law enforcement about a student’s report of abuse nearly two years before the children’s bodies were discovered. The lawsuit, filed Oct. 14 in Effingham County Superior Court, alleges school officials reported the March 2017 warning to the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services but failed to notify Rincon police or the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, as required by district policy. The estate contends a law enforcement investigation could have uncovered the abuse and saved Elwyn’s life. The following are key details from the lawsuit and a report by WJCL: The defendants: The lawsuit names former Effingham County High School counselor Kate Richards Keith, former principal William “Billy” Walton Hughes, former district student support coordinator Terri Shuman Johnson and former school resource officer John Peny. They are being sued individually. The student’s report: According to the complaint, a student told a faculty member on March 16, 2017, that she had heard Elwyn screaming while his step-grandmother, Kim Wright, told him to be quiet. The student also reported hearing what sounded like a belt striking skin and later seeing a red mark around Elwyn’s neck. The DFCS report: The lawsuit says Keith submitted a report to DFCS at about 2:30 p.m. that…
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