As many as 30 federal, state, and local investigators are looking into the death of a black man who was found hanging from a tree by a sheet last week, authorities say. In addition, the FBI is said to be collaborating with a special division on the case.
The body of Otis Byrd, 54, was found last Thursday near Port Gibson, Miss. It was initially suggested that his death may have been a suicide, but the Associated Press reports that the FBI is working with behavioral analysts in their investigation. Furthermore, a spokesman for the agency told the Associated Press that they're waiting on an autopsy report, which might not return for days:
Jason Pack, supervisory special agent for the FBI's Jackson, Mississippi, office, said Monday that it could be days before investigators receive an autopsy report for 54-year-old Otis Byrd. The report is expected to show whether Byrd was killed or committed suicide.
[via Associated Press]