A son’s unanswered calls led to a parking lot, then a confession, then a grave.
Why It Matters: Tange Davis was killed by someone she knew while he was already facing charges for violence against her — a pattern that advocates say reflects gaps in how the system protects domestic violence survivors.
What Happened: On Saturday evening, October 11, Davis’s son called 911 after not hearing from his mother since October 9. He used OnStar to track her silver Chevrolet Equinox to a Lidl grocery store on Floyd Road in Mableton.
When officers arrived, they met 56-year-old Cecil McCrary, Davis’s boyfriend. He told them she had last been at his home and showed them security footage of her leaving Thursday night. Police entered Davis into the national missing persons database and launched an investigation.
Three days later, on October 14, the department posted a public alert asking for help. That same evening, McCrary was taken into custody. During questioning, he admitted to killing Davis and burying her body in Atlanta. Detectives recovered her remains that night.
The Pattern: Officers had responded to multiple domestic violence calls involving McCrary and Davis before her death. At the time he killed her, McCrary was out on pretrial release for kidnapping and aggravated assault charges tied to those earlier incidents.
Between the Lines: Davis was 45. Her son knew something was wrong because silence wasn’t her pattern. McCrary provided footage that appeared to show her leaving alive — then later admitted he had killed her.
The case follows a familiar arc: repeated violence, charges filed, release, then homicide.
The Resources: The National Domestic Violence Hotline operates 24 hours a day at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or online at www.thehotline.org. The YWCA of Northwest Georgia offers emergency shelter, advocacy, and counseling for survivors.
“This loss devastates all of us,” Cobb County Police Chief Dan Ferrell said in a statement. “Our hearts are with her family, and we are reminded that behind every statistic is a person, a mother, a friend, a colleague whose life mattered.”
🗂️ Domestic Violence Stats: A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that between 2003 and 2014, about 55% of all female homicides in the U.S. were related to intimate partner violence.
The Sources: Cobb County Police Department.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
