FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Investigators say they know more about the death of a Kentucky census worker who was found naked and hanging from a tree with the word "fed" scrawled on his chest.
They now say he committed suicide. They also say he had taken out life insurances policies totaling $600,000 not long before his death. The policies wouldn't cover death by suicide.
Bill Sparkman was found in September with a rope around his neck near a cemetery in southeastern Kentucky. His wrists were loosely bound and he was gagged.
Authorities say Sparkman alone manipulated the scene to conceal a suicide. Police say he had told "a credible witness" that he planned to kill himself. That person didn't take Sparkman seriously.
A Kentucky State Police captain said an analysis found the word "fed" was written "from the bottom up." Police also say Sparkman's body was found touching the ground. As the official put it, all Sparkman had to do to survive "was stand up."
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Graves dot a hillside at the Hoskins Cemetery near site where census worker Bill Sparkman was found dead, Manchester, Kentucky, on texture, lettering CENSUS WORKER HANGED, finished graphic
