Autopsy results on two victims inconclusive

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May 8, 2010

By Brian Livingston / blivingston@themeridianstar.com The Meridian Star The Meridian Star Sat May 08, 2010, 08:30 AM CDT

MERIDIAN —     Detectives with the Meridian Police Department Criminal Investigation Division, after attending the autopsy of two white males found dead on the Sowashee creek bank near the North Frontage road bridge on Wednesday just before noon, still cannot determine how the two men died.

    MPD Capt. James Sharpe said the Mississippi State Crime Lab in Jackson conducted the autopsies on the bodies and based on the preliminary autopsy results no official cause(s) of death was determined. Officials were able, however, to rule out any type of physical cause.

    Sharpe said there was no apparent cause(s) of death found at the scene when it was processed for evidence adding, "We can say at this time that they were not shot, stabbed, or beaten in anyway. At this point we are relying on toxicology reports and testing of certain evidence collected from the scene to provide possible answers."

    The names of the deceased are being withheld pending verification of their identities and notification to their next of kin.

    Emergency responders with the Meridian Police Department, Meridian Fire Department, and Metro Ambulance responded to Sowashee Creek near the North Frontage Road bridge in reference to two males lying near the water's edge possibly deceased. The bodies were discovered by concerned citizens who frequented the area.

    Once officers with the MPD Patrol Division arrived and secured the scene, detectives initiated an investigation into the deaths. Lauderdale County coroner, Clayton Cobler and detectives estimate the time of death to possibly be between late Sunday night and mid Monday afternoon.

    Sharpe said even though the autopsies cannot provide a cause of death, as far as physical injuries are concerned, detectives are continuing to investigate the deaths as if they are homicides.

    "Until the toxicology report returns and a definite cause of death is known we will treat this as a double homicide," said Sharpe. "If the report states these men died of natural causes, then we can downgrade the investigation."

    Sharpe said detectives believe that the males are homeless or transients. Officials ask that anyone with information related to the two deceased males found on Sowashee Creek to please contact the Meridian Police Department Criminal Investigation Division at (60) 485-1859 or CrimeStoppers.

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Autopsy results on two victims inconclusive

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