Justice Department Declares No Evidence of Homicide in Mississippi Hanging Case

They won't officially call it a suicide, though.

Image via Mississippi Department of Corrections

Investigators have found no evidence of homicide in the hanging death of Otis Byrd, the Department of Justice announced today. The agency has suggested it was a suicide but hasn't specifically said that was the case, AP reports. The announcement came after officials met with Byrd's family to inform them of their decision.

Byrd, a 54-year-old African-American man, was found hanging from a Mississippi tree in March. More than 30 FBI agents came to investigate a possible murder and civil rights violations, with the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi conducting their own investigations. 

Early on in the case investigators were already leaning toward suicide. Still, Byrd's family insisted Byrd wouldn't kill himself. 

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