Black Man Found Hanging from Tree in Mississippi; FBI Investigating

An African-American man was found hanged from a tree in Clairborne County, Mississippi today. The county coroner said the man was found hanging, and local authorities say they’re looking into whether this was a crime carried out by others or if it was a suicide.

Authorities have not yet released the man’s name, but the local chapter of the NAACP has already come forward to identify him as Otis Byrd:

#Breaking News: Byrd was last seen when a friend dropped him off at Vicksburg's Riverwalk Casino ten days ago.

— Melissa Faith Payne (@MelissaFPayne) March 19, 2015

#Breaking News The NAACP sent an email to the Justice Dept "join the current investigation of the suspicious hanging death of Mr. Otis Byrd"

— Melissa Faith Payne (@MelissaFPayne) March 19, 2015

The FBI is on the scene and they, along with local authorities, are investigating the horrifying incident.

Update- 8:31 pm EST: A law enforcement official told CNN that Byrd is the individual in question. You can see a picture of him here:

You can watch CNN’s report here:

[image via screengrab]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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