Body found in abandoned house in Noxubee County

NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) –  It was anything but a quiet Friday in Noxubee County.

A tip to the Noxubee County Sheriff’s Office leads to the discovery of a body in a rural part of the county.

The department has confirmed an unidentified body was found in an abandoned house in a secluded area.

Right now there are still more questions than answers.

Sheriff Tommy Roby said his department got a tip to search an area along a dead-end road east of Macon.

“We received a tip. We came out to investigate, search the area, went into the house, and started looking in the house through a window. I could see what I believed to be a body,” said Roby.

Once it was determined that they were dealing with a body, Sheriff Roby called in the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.

They will be taking the lead on the investigation.

There are few answers at this point, but Noxubee County Coroner R.L. Calhoun was able to provide some information.

“Right now we found an African American body. Appeared to be 20-23 years of age. Right now we are keeping everything as a John Doe until we can make a positive identification,” said Calhoun.

Investigators have begun processing the scene, looking for any clues or evidence that might tell them who this was or what may have happened.

The coroner said the body has been taken to the crime lab in Pearl for an autopsy.

“The body was in strong decomposition and we couldn’t make identification so right now we are waiting on results from the crime lab to further the investigation,” said Calhoun.

Sheriff Roby said the next steps to take after getting positive identification.

“When we positively identify the body, we will notify the necessary family about what we have found and go from there, ” said Roby.

At this time, the department can not say if foul play was involved.

The coroner is hoping to get an identification by next week.

If you have any information you can contact the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation at MBITIPS@dps.ms.gov

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