Investigators appear to be leaning toward ruling the death of a black man who was found hanging from a tree in Mississippi a suicide.
Authorities told the media today there is no preliminary evidence to suggest foul play in the death of 54-year-old Otis Byrd, CNN reported. Therefore, the current theory is that Byrd, who was found hanging from a high branch with bed sheets around his neck, committed suicide.
That's not set in stone, of course, as there are reportedly 30 agents from the FBI, the state police and other agencies looking into the case, and it could be weeks before the medical examiner reveals an exact cause of death.
Byrd spent 26 years in prison on a murder conviction before he was paroled in 2006, which led some to speculate that he had been lynched in retaliation for his crime.
