Suicide Seen in Mississippi Hanging

On Friday, a federal law-enforcement official told the Los Angeles Times that preliminary autopsy results point to suicide as the cause of death for the black Mississippi man found hanging from a tree. Otis Byrd was found Thursday hanging about two feet off the ground by police who were searching for him. (Byrd was last seen at a casino almost two weeks ago.) The FBI, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation are all investigating the incident. Autopsy results are expected next week.