Associated Press Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents stand on the edge of a lake at the Tri-State Crematory in Noble, Ga., Wednesday. Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson said a torso and skull were found in the water about 20 yards from the bank. Officials were testing the water for contamination and making plans to drain it in the search for more corpses brought to the crematory by funeral homes for cremations that were never performed.

NOBLE, Ga. - The operation to recover discarded human remains from pits, sheds, metal vaults and even a shallow lake near a crematory could last at least eight months, and the cost could top earlier estimates of $10 million, officials said yesterday.

The 3-acre lake, which has already yielded two bodies, will be drained as part of the search, officials said.

"There's just no way to even guess at a cost until we stop finding bodies. And we're finding them everywhere," said Gary McConnell, director of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.

As of yesterday, 242 bodies have been discovered at Tri-State Crematory in Noble, about 20 miles south of Chattanooga, Tenn. That count was expected to rise as authorities begin examining six newly opened vaults; state medical examiner Dr. Kris Sperry said the vaults could hold as many as 20 corpses each.

Crematory operator Ray Brent Marsh, 28, remained jailed yesterday for allegedly accepting payment for cremations he did not intend to perform.

Forensics experts are testing the contents of urns returned to families and funeral homes by Tri-State and have determined that roughly one in eight is filled with a mixture of dirt or cement dust.

Investigators have subpoenaed natural gas records and planned to inspect the incinerator to determine the last time it had been used.

They also turned their attention to possible employees of the crematory, although they had not found any personnel or tax records, Coroner Dewayne Wilson said.

McConnell estimated the state has already spent $5 million searching for bodies, and the state said it now wants to lease land and set up temporary facilities because the operation likely will last eight months or more.

Among the expenses was $500,000 a week for a temporary morgue in a 14,000-square-foot tent, with 50 pathologists working to identify remains.

In addition, more than 10,000 pieces of human remains had been sent for DNA tests since Monday, and the state has about 450 workers on site, along with dozens of FBI and federal mortuary workers, McConnell said.

The tricky job of draining the lake will likely involve trucking or pumping the water out slowly so bodies won't wash away, he said.

The project won't begin until two more tests show whether the water is safe. Nearby residents have already been cleared to drink well water, McConnell said.

Thirty-five bodies have been identified. Wilson said his office receives about 600 phone calls a day from families as far away as Canada about the whereabouts of their loved ones.

Marsh faces 16 counts of theft by deception. More charges, including possible federal charges, were pending. A bond hearing was postponed until he has a lawyer, district attorney Buzz Franklin said.

McConnell met with Gov. Roy Barnes and state senators to ask for more money for the investigation. The case doesn't qualify for federal emergency funds because it is not a natural disaster, state Sen. George Hooks said.