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COBB COUNTY, Ga. - The man accused of concealing the death of a 26-year-old Army veteran appeared before a Cobb County judge Friday morning.
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James Bradshaw Clement, 31, is charged with concealing a death in the 2014 disappearance and death of Chase Massner. He was arrested on Thursday by U.S. Marshals and Cobb County police.
No bond was granted for Clement at his first appearance Friday. He'll remain behind bars at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center.
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Officials told FOX 5 Clement was taken into custody at a Publix Shopping Center parking lot at 2969 North Druid Hills in Atlanta. Authorities shared a photo with FOX 5 of Clement, handcuffed, on the ground while it was raining.
"I couldn't think of a better way for him to go down than in the parking lot, face down in a monsoon," said Michael Swiger, a friend of Chase Massner.
"We knew with a limited amount of money and limited people wanting to help him, he wasn't going far," said Swiger.
On Tuesday, police said Clement's vehicle was found outside his mother's home in DeKalb County, but Clement was still on the run.
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Authorities said remains, believed to be Massner's, were found buried under the back deck of a home along Farmbrook Trail last week, where Clements once lived. Official positive identification of the remains has not yet been determined by the Medical Examiner’s office.
When FOX 5 knocked on the door, no one answered.
Authorities have not said whether his family members will be questioned regarding the discovery.
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Clement agreed to turn himself into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center Friday afternoon but failed to do so, according to police.
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"It wasn't what we wanted, but it's what a lot of us were expecting, that Chase was dead," said Swiger.
Stephanie Cadena, Massner's mother, read a statement to FOX 5 on the search. "We have been dealing with heartbreak and trying to get closure. But it's been taken from us by a man who continues to evade arrest," she said, tearfully.
Cadena, along with family friends, announced a $1,000 reward raised by Massner's Army comrade.
"Stop running-- turn yourself in," pleaded Christine Lamoine, a family friend, who spoke to FOX 5 on behalf of the Massner family. "[The family] can't even begin to gain closure until Brad turns himself in," she said.
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Massner went missing back in March of 2014. A tip led authorities to the home along Farmbrook Trail. Neighbors told FOX 5's Denise Dillon that authorities searched behind that home with cadaver dogs about a month ago. During the search, they say, the dogs picked up a scent, which led to Tuesday's discovery.
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Neighbor Dick Lamborn says Massner knew the previous home owner, Brad Clement.
Lamborn says investigators used a backhoe to dig up the remains.
"We were able to dig and once we removed that dirt, that's when we found the remains," said Officer Alicia Chilton, Cobb County Police.
Some of Messner's family members were present as investigators brought out bags of evidence.
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"They're devastated," said neighbor Jackie Moen. "I was talking to the aunt and she said it's like a Band-Aid being torn open again."
For weeks after Massner's disappearance, family and friends desperately searched for the young father of two.
"I hope they get answers they're looking for, and I know it's going to cause a lot of grief for them and that's very sad," said Amanda Gillette, a friend of the family.