A teenager has been identified as a suspect in the death of a mobile locksmith whose body was found in his burning work van last week in DeKalb County.
Peter McGrath, a 36-year-old father of four, was discovered dead June 6 when police were asked to perform a wellness check on the vehicle parked on Mecklinburg Place. The van was burning when officers arrived, according to police.
DeKalb police officials confirmed Thursday that a 16-year-old was taken into custody and the investigation into the homicide continues. A police spokesperson did not say whether any charges have been filed against the teen and declined to provide any further information.
The night before his death, McGrath left home on a work call, his wife told Channel 2 Action News. Residents of Mecklinburg Place notified police of an explosion around 12:30 a.m. June 6 and said the work van had been parked on the road for hours, the news station reported.
Officers were on their way when they got another call that the van was on fire. Police have not said how McGrath was killed.
He is survived by his children and his wife of 13 years, Amber McGrath, who started a GoFundMe page to raise money for the family. She said Peter was the sole provider for the household of six, working as a mobile emergency locksmith. Their youngest child is 6 months old.
“This senseless tragedy is almost too much to bear,” she wrote on the crowdfunding campaign.
By Friday, the GoFundMe had raised more than $50,000 from almost 500 donations. On the fundraising page, Amber McGrath thanked those who have supported her family and said she had “no doubt more arrests would be made.”
“Peter was a great man. Trying to carve out his little slice of the American Dream,” she said. “Our dreams were cut short. He was a loving father. Small business owner. Loved by many. This loss is too much.”
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