FBI bringing in 'profilers' in Miss. hanging case

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[h=4]FBI bringing in 'profilers' in Miss. hanging case[/h]Autopsy Monday will help determine if death was suicide or foul play, authorities say.

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People of Claiborne County talk about Otis Byrd and the situation surrounding his death


Otis Byrd(Photo: MDOC)


JACKSON, Miss. — The FBI is enlisting the help of their fabled Behavioral Analysis Unit in the case of the hanging death of Claiborne County man Otis Byrd.
Byrd, 54, was found hanging by a bedsheet from a tree not far from his last known residence Thursday after having been missing for two weeks. Local authorities called in the FBI upon finding his body, and the probe has been an all-encompassing one for federal, state and local law enforcement over the last few days.
The NAACP immediately released Byrd's identity, and called for the Department of Justice to get involved in the case.
USA TODAY
Was Mississippi black man's death suicide or homicide?




According to FBI.gov, the Behavioral Analysis Unit "focuses specifically on criminal human behavior in an attempt to better understand criminals — who they are, how they think, why they do what they do — as a means to help solve crimes." Officials said they hope the BAU will help narrow down whether Byrd's death was a suicide or a homicide.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Don Alway said investigators continued to do interviews through the weekend, but now they're putting every new detail under the microscope to see if there are any new leads that develop.
"We're really going to ask for folks again to dig deep and think if there's anyone who has communicated with Mr. Byrd, especially from March 2 on, no matter how small that communication could have been," he said.
Authorities are still waiting on autopsy results to help determine the manner of death as well.
"We're hoping that autopsy report will shed light into the definitive cause of death," Alway said.
Alway would not speak to specific reports that Byrd had gambling debt and other personal financial problems in the weeks leading to his death.
"I really don't want to speak to anything about his personal life, although we are in regular communication with his family to make sure we get the picture painted as completely as possible," he said.
The review of all the evidence continues as authorities continue to analyze witness statements, Alway said.
"Based on recommendations from the Behavioral Analysis Unit and try and proceed with anything else that they deem noteworthy," Alway said.
Apel also reports for The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger.
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