Police are awaiting the results of an autopsy in the case of a man whose body was found earlier this week in Brookhaven.

Found lying on his back in a ditch alongside Crooked Lane, the deceased was identified by Brookhaven Police Chief Kenneth Collins as Derric Wayne Thomas, 41, of Greenville.

Brookhaven citizen Emmanuel Johnson was driving with his fiancée when he saw the man and called for help, not realizing Thomas was already dead.

Because a female homicide victim was found in a vacant lot on Crooked Lane in 2015 and a male homicide victim was found on Crooked Lane in 2019, some area residents are taking to social media platforms insisting Thomas must be the victim of homicide, as well.

No evidence of foul play has been found, however, according to Collins.

The body was sent to the state crime lab in Jackson for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death, said Lincoln County Coroner Clay McMorris.

Investigators are in possession of video showing Thomas walking around the area within an hour prior to his body being found, Collins said, and known associates are being interviewed to gather more information.

The investigation is ongoing.