COBB COUNTY, Ga — A couple in Cobb County says their dream house has turned into a money pit.
They told Channel 2's Carl Willis they haven't seen their contractor in months and when we looked into it, we learned they aren't alone.
The contractor is the focus of a criminal investigation in several counties.
“He’s been saying the same thing for three months: ‘I’m coming tomorrow.’ Tomorrow never comes,” William Smith, the homeowner, said.
The couple told Willis they're now nearly $50,000 in the hole because of the contractor.
The work started in June of last year but today, there are still exposed wires, gaping holes in the floor and sheetrock slapped on top of the old sheetrock throughout the house.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Police officer who hit, killed jogger charged
- Houston police
- Man says he nearly died from flesh-eating bacteria after beach trip
The Smiths claim Ronnie Murphy with JDM Contracting, cut a stack of checks and then disappeared.
"He crushed our dreams. He totally just took our dreams and crushed them," said Judy Smith.
Willis contacted Murphy over the phone Monday night and he denied any wrongdoing.
"You can put this on the news. I said this, you or nobody else ever in your life is going to stand up and call me a thief because I don't take nothing from nobody," Murphy said.
An investigator with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office confirmed that Murphy is the focus of an active criminal investigation.
The investigator said there are two reports out of Cherokee County against him. One case is in Cobb County, another is in Bartow County and yet another complainant in Floyd County has come forward.
The Smiths, both realtors, say they knew better.
"He got us to a point we felt that if we didn't give him money, he wouldn't come back," William Smith said.
They say there's a reason they're sharing their pain.
"So that he doesn't do it to one more person, one more family," Judy Smith said.
The investigation is ongoing.
Murphy has not been charged with anything and claims he will finish the Smiths' job in Cherokee County.