The body of an African-American man who has been missing since early March was found hanging from a tree in the woods of Mississippi.
Federal authorities are investigating the discovery of a missing African-American man who was found hanging from a tree in Mississippi during a ground search Thursday.
The remains were discovered in woods a half-mile from the man’s last known residence in Claiborne County, about 60 miles southwest of Jackson, FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jason Pack told the Daily News.
The NAACP’s local branch identified the man as 54-year-old Otis James Byrd, who vanished nearly three weeks ago, MSNewsNow reported.
He was last seen when a friend dropped him off at Vicksburg’s Riverwalk Casino, approximately 30 miles north of where the body was found.
It is unclear if the man, who has not been named, was killed by someone or committed suicide. The FBI is currently investigating if there are any civil rights violations in this case. Port Gibson Sheriff Marvin Lucas told CBS affiliate WJTV the body was found on Old Rodney Road in Port Gibson.
An FBI Evidence Response Team is processing the scene and authorities have not released the name of the person found. The FBI inquiry is a parallel inquiry with state and local investigations.
After several days of missing, (he) was found hanged to death,” the NAACP stated in an email sent to the Department of Justice and obtained by the news site. They asked that the federal government “join the current investigation of the suspicious hanging death of Mr. Otis Byrd.”
In an email to The News, Pack did not say whether foul play is suspected at this time and did not confirm the man’s identity as Byrd. He said the man found Thursday had been missing since March 2, the same date Byrd was reported missing.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigations, the FBI and the Claiborne County Sheriff department are collaborating in the investigation, he said.
According to Mississippi correctional records, Byrd was paroled in 2006 after serving 25 years for the murder of Lucille Trimm in 1980 in a robbery.
(Photo: Mississippi Department of Corrections)
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Body Of Missing African-American Man Found Hanging From Tree In Mississippi was originally published on newsone.com
