Answers sought after body found
Published 5:00 am Tuesday, May 28, 2002
Authorities are looking for clues after a decomposed body wasfound Friday afternoon in a wooded area off of Porter’s Trail, saidLincoln County Sheriff Lynn Boyte.
The body was discovered along a pipeline around 4:30 p.m. Fridayon Porter’s Trail north of Highway 84 about 12 miles west of thecity, Boyte said. The sheriff said the decomposed body appeared tobe that of a black male age 55-60 and had been there about one totwo weeks.
“That’s about all we know at this point,” Boyte said.
Lincoln County Coroner Clay McMorris said the body has been sentto Mississippi Mortuary for an autopsy. He did not have an estimateon how long the autopsy would take.
“We might know something within the next few days,” McMorrissaid.
Boyte said authorities believe the body was that of a localperson, but that has not been confirmed. The sheriff added hisdepartment has not received any reports of missing persons withinthe last two weeks.
“We just hope the autopsy will give us some answers,” Boytesaid.
Boyte said there was no evidence of foul play.
“We can’t say one way or the other,” the sheriff said about thepossibility. “There’s nothing to indicate that, but we’re not goingto rule it out right now.”
Authorities were alerted to the possibility of a body after thedepartment received a call Friday from a resident in the area,Boyte said, but he did not elaborate.
A search began and the body was found along a pipeline nearPorter’s Trail. Mississippi Crime Lab authorities were called in toassist with recovering the body, Boyte said.
“We searched for about an hour,” the sheriff said.