Black man found hanging from tree in Mississippi

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The hanging death 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 reported missing March 8. Authorities found the body hanging from a tree in the woods behind the residence where he had been living.

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It is unclear if it is a suicide, or if the man was killed by someone.

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"Earlier in the day, the Claiborne County Sheriffs Department and the Mississippi Wildlife Fisheries and Parks conducted a ground search for a man who had been missing since early March. Officers located a man hanging in the woods near Roddy Road a half mile from his last known residence," according to the FBI statement.

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Evidence collected so far doesn't suggest foul play in the death of Otis Byrd, found hanging from a tree in Mississippi, law enforcement officials told CNN. For that reason, suicide is the early theory as the likely manner of death, the officials said.

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