Black man hangs himself in Mississippi

The hanging dead bofy of an
African-American man who had been missing
since early this month and was found Thursday
by local authorities in Mississippi has drawn the
scrutiny of the FBI and the Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division.
The sheriff's office in Claiborne County,
Mississippi, had organized a search for the man,
who had been missing since March 2 and was
reported missing March 8. Authorities found the
body hanging from a tree in the woods behind the
residence where he had been living.
It is unclear if it is a suicide, or if the man was
killed by someone.
Law enforcement believes that Otis Byrd is the
man found hanging in Mississippi.
A law enforcement official says the man found
hanging is believed to be 54-year-old Otis Byrd,
who has been missing since earlier this month.
According to the Mississippi Department of
Corrections, Byrd was convicted in 1980 for
murdering a woman. He was paroled in 2006.
At this point there are two parallel investigations:
one by local authorities into the death, and one
by the FBI into whether there may be any federal
civil rights violations. The FBI has a forensics
team on the scene in Mississippi in part because
the bureau has responsibility for federal civil
rights law.
The Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of
Mississippi are also investigating the death,
according to a spokeswoman for the Justice
Department.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is also on
the scene, according to a statement from the FBI.

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