On March 21, 2015, 911 received a call from a man who had been turkey hunting behind the old Empire school. The caller stated he and his brother were on their way out of the woods when they saw Eric's burned truck in a mud hole behind the school and discovered Eric and Gypsy's remains were still inside.

The Walker County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene. According to reports, they did not rope off the scene, locals not involved in the investigation were able to walk around the crime scene freely, once Eric and Gypsy's bodies were removed, investigators raked out piles of ashes, bones and other evidence such as buttons off of clothes and left them at the scene, along with evidence and pieces of Eric's truck that remained in the mudhole. The mudhole also wasn't drained to see if there was any evidence below the surface. While the family was told Eric's truck would be kept inside the county garage for processing, it was dropped in the yard, exposed to rain and other weather elements, where it continues to sit today.

Eric's family initially received a 6-page autopsy report that appeared to be missing pages. They were told the toxicology report revealed Eric had a toxic level of methamphetamine in his system and the investigator's theory was Eric overdosed, causing him to drop a cigarette and set himself, along with his truck and Gypsy, on fire. After years of questioning and waiting, Eric's family later found out the official autopsy report was 31 pages and included a statement that the manner of death was homicide and the cause of death was undetermined.

While plenty of stories have surfaced over the years about what exactly happened to Eric Cates, the question of what really happened to Eric and Gypsy remains unanswered.