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A Deeply Disturbing Discovery in the Woods
The tragic discovery of a missing African-American man’s body hanging from a tree in rural Claiborne County, Mississippi is now being investigated by both state and federal authorities. The man identified as Otis Byrd, 54, went missing on March 2 according to the Clarion Ledger newspaper. The NAACP has requested federal involvement in the matter, and authorities have yet to determine whether the death is the result of a homicide or suicide. The county Sheriff Marvin Lucas, a former NAACP official, said the man was found hung with bedsheets.
The FBI reports that the body was discovered today during an area search near his home by officers from the Claiborne Sheriff’s Department and the Mississippi Wildlife Fisheries and Parks agency. Claiborne County with 9,600 residents sits southwest of the state capital of Jackson near Louisiana.
CNN Justice Reporter Evan Perez wrote that Mr. Byrd was reported missing March 8 and that an FBI Forensics team is on site along with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation after a request from the Sheriff’s Department. Both agencies have overlapping jurisdiction, with the FBI’s authority coming under various laws including the 2010 Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act, 18 U.S. Code ยง249, which punishes many types of racial and other hate crimes federally.
