A beloved local bagpiper known for playing at community events died in a scuba accident – but what was hiding at his house was even more shocking.
Henry Frantz, 74, died while diving off the coast of Maui on March 10 and his family came to his home in Decatur, northeast Atlanta, on March 16 to settle his affairs.
To their horror, they discovered a human skeleton inside a treehouse in his backyard on Garden Lane.
The remains were of his son, Henry Doyle Colon Frantz, who disappeared four years ago aged 28 after leaving home.
Frantz’s daughter Rebecca Frantz Culpepper said the body was her missing brother, but authorities are yet to positively identify it.
‘We are working on confirmation of his identification at this time,’ DeKalb Medical Examiner chief deputy investigator Jess Dillard said.
‘We are pretty certain we have his identity, just waiting on dental or DNA. The remains were skeletonized. No obvious signs of injury or trauma.’
Police in Maui are investigating Frantz’s death, with no cause released, while cops in Decatur are investigating the death of his son. No foul play is suspected in either case.
Beloved local bagpiper Henry Frantz, 74, died while scuba diving off the coast of Maui on March 10
The remains were of his son, Henry Doyle Colon Frantz (pictured), who disappeared four years ago aged 28 after leaving home, were found in a treehouse in his father’s backyard
Frantz’s family came to his home in Decatur, northeast Atlanta, on March 16 to settle his affairs, which was when they found his son’s skeleton
How the younger man died and his body lay decomposing for four years while his father was living there has mystified their family.
Culpepper said her father maintained a ‘very active lifestyle’ and was seldom visited by his surviving family as they lived in different states.
His second wife, Fran, died of natural causes in 2018 and he lived alone even since. He had five children, including Henry.
Frantz was known as the ‘bagpiper of Decatur’ who played at weddings, funerals, birthday parties, and public events.
‘People have to let go and for some reason, a lot of people and preachers think the pipes at a grave site… helps to let go and is a letting-go facilitator, he told Decaturish in 2015.
‘I know that I am performing something valuable in that instance.’
Frantz (left) with his son Henry, wife Fran who died in 2018, and daughter Rebecca
Frantz was one of the founders of the Atlanta Pipe Band in 1970 and also played solo at weddings, funerals, birthday parties, and public events
By day he was a lawyer and amatuer fossil hunter who grew up in Hong Kong, where his Pan Am airline pilot father was stationed and he learned the bagpipes.
‘There was all that pomp and circumstance in Hong Kong… I met up with someone who played in a pipe band and it sort of drew me to it,’ he recalled.
Frantz was one of the founders of the Atlanta Pipe Band in 1970, which has played for presidents Carter and Bush, King Charles, Mikhail Gorbachev, and the Dalai Lama.
‘His dedication, kindness, and high standards inspired generations of pipers,’ the band wrote online to honor his death.
‘Beyond music, Henry’s curiosity led him to travel the world, explore fossils, and pursue scuba diving. He will be deeply missed but never forgotten.’
