Census worker found hanged. Lynching or Suicide?

Census worker found hanged. Lynching or Suicide?

by A Person | Published on September 23rd, 2009, 5:12 pm | News

WASHINGTON AP— The FBI is investigating the hanging death of a U.S. Census worker near a Kentucky cemetery, and a law enforcement official told The Associated Press the word 'fed" was scrawled on the dead man's chest.

The body of Bill Sparkman, a 51-year-old part-time Census field worker and occasional teacher, was found Sept. 12 in a remote patch of the Daniel Boone National Forest in rural southeast Kentucky. The Census has suspended door-to-door interviews in rural Clay County, where the body was found, pending the outcome of the investigation.

Investigators are still trying to determine whether the death was a killing or a suicide, and if a killing, whether the motive was related to his government job or to anti-government sentiment.

Concern..and worry gripped the staff of Johnson Elementary last Thursday when Bill Sparkman didn't show up for his after school work assignment.

“He was always where he was supposed to be, when he was supposed to be. He didn't call..he didn't show up,” said Johnson Ele. Family Resource Center Director Gilbert Acciardo.

The 51-year-old Sparkman had recently beaten the odds in an often fatal form of cancer. That was while he spent two years earning a teaching degree while holding down two jobs. And school staff say he was always dependable. Then on Sunday..his body was found more than 30 miles away..in a rural part of Clay County.

“We have the same questions everybody else does..what happened to Mr. Sparkman? Because we know what police have told us,” said Acciardo.

Police are not saying how Sparkman died or even what kind of injuries he had, and they say at this point they are not ruling anything out.

Police aren't saying whether the investigation is leaning towards an accidental death..or a homicide.

Besides his job in education...friends say Sparkman also worked for the US Census Bureau..which could explain why he was in such a rural part of Clay County. But police say his family doesn't know for sure.

Police say the exact cause of death is pending autopsy results.

http://www.wkyt.com/news/headlines/59386962.html

A Person wrote:
WASHINGTON AP— The FBI is investigating the hanging death of a U.S. Census worker near a Kentucky cemetery, and a law enforcement official told The Associated Press the word 'fed" was scrawled on the dead man's chest.

The body of Bill Sparkman, a 51-year-old part-time Census field worker and occasional teacher, was found Sept. 12 in a remote patch of the Daniel Boone National Forest in rural southeast Kentucky. The Census has suspended door-to-door interviews in rural Clay County, where the body was found, pending the outcome of the investigation.

Investigators are still trying to determine whether the death was a killing or a suicide, and if a killing, whether the motive was related to his government job or to anti-government sentiment.

They see a body hanging in a tree, with a word carved in the chest and their first question is "I wonder whether he did this himself?" ...

They NEED to write this into a CSI plot... Provide a little comic relief to the dryness there. :roll:

Why is this noose classified as possible "anti-government sentiment"? Seems like every other noose is classified as a HATE CRIME. Where is Al Sharpton? Why isn't he speaking up for this man?

Dazed&Confused wrote:Why is this noose classified as possible "anti-government sentiment"? Seems like every other noose is classified as a HATE CRIME. Where is Al Sharpton? Why isn't he speaking up for this man?

Uh.

Huh.....

:whistle:

Did they happen to mention whether the guy was a minority?

Sounds like Alabama in the 60s

Yes he is a member of several minorities

He was a single dad
He volunteered at schools teaching science
He seemed to be a decent guy

All pretty rare unfortunately

This clearly is murder and not suicide

BIG CREEK, Ky. — A part-time census worker found hanging in a rural Kentucky cemetery was naked, gagged and had his hands and feet bound with duct tape, said an Ohio man who discovered the body two weeks ago.

Jerry Weaver of Fairfield, Ohio, told The Associated Press on Friday that he was among a group of relatives who discovered the body of 51-year-old Bill Sparkman on Sept. 12.

"The only thing he had on was a pair of socks," Weaver said. "And they had duct-taped his hands, his wrists. He had duct tape over his eyes, and they gagged him with a red rag or something.

"And they even had duct tape around his neck. And they had like his identification tag on his neck. They had it duct-taped to the side of his neck, on the right side, almost on his right shoulder."

Weaver said he couldn't tell if the tag was a Census Bureau I.D. He said he didn't get close enough to read it.

State police Capt. Lisa Rudzinski would not confirm Weaver's description of the crime scene. Two people briefed on the investigation said various details of Weaver's account matched the details of the crime scene, though both people said they were not informed who found the body. The two spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case.

Both of the people briefed on the investigation said, for instance, that a Census identification badge, which Census workers are instructed to wear when they go on door to door work, was found taped to his head and shoulder area.

Authorities have released very few details on the death. Coroner Jim Trosper has said the word "fed" was written on Sparkman's chest with what was likely a felt-tip pen. Weaver said he was not close enough to see anything written on the body's chest.

The copper on the news said "we can't rule out it wasn't an accident".

Like WTF?

He must of walked up on somebody's still or hemp patch. There are some very mean places in the backwoods of Kentucky/Tennessee/West Virginia.........The movie Deliverance comes to mind.....I know shame on me for stereotyping.... sorry. It is a sad story.

Doesn't sound racial to me at all. I'm guessing the man was unfortunate enough to stumble upon somebody's still or marijuana patch. Lots of redneck rural people don't take kindly to suspicious people coming on their property.

deepshade wrote:He must of walked up on somebody's still or hemp patch. There are some very mean places in the backwoods of Kentucky/Tennessee/West Virginia.........The movie Deliverance comes to mind.....I know shame on me for stereotyping.... sorry. It is a sad story.

LOL... we were responding at the same time with the same hypothesis.

HA! Ditto September 25th, 2009, 9:34 pm Reply with quote

HA! Ditto

He was conducting a census. He had his ID Tag on him - it was on his corpse.

Now it's possible that he was wandering around the backwoods and stumbled upon a still or weed patch, but why is that more likely than him doing what all census workers do, and simply walking up to the front door?

I understand why you would like to think this has nothing to do with the paranoia coming from the Snickers wing nuts:

Bachman "census will lay the groundwork for World War II-style internment camps"

Neal Boortz "most of the rest of the information is designed to help the government steal from you in order to pass off your property to the moochers. They're looters."

Beck "(the census) is unconstitutional, I mean, I'll tell you how many people live in my house. I don't think I need to tell you this. This is unconstitutional; I don't think I need to tell you all of this."

American Daily Review"If the government decided to rely on foreign troops, perhaps United Nations personnel, most of which may not understand the street signs, much less know the lay of the land, they could use GPS devices to direct them to your front door... Once a field worker is done with your front door, Big Brother has you in sight, using an eye in the sky. Satellites. GPS. Big Brother is Watching You."

The next stage is to suggest ,like MikeMcGarrett that "The unfortunate U.S. Census worker who was hanged in Kentucky was probably killed by liberals who now blame the crime on Conservatives!"

This is what likely happend AP....

"Knock Knock"

"Hi sir, I'm with the federal..."

At that point a sock was stuffed in his mouth and his arms and legs were taped up.

Seriously, I wouldn't doubt it.

Very likely. There are far too many armed people who started off pretty weird, and with the current rhetoric feel it their patriotic duty to oppose government.

Investigators conclude it WAS suicide after all.

Hm.

:think:

Well if it is true, that it was suicide, and a "sacrifice" for his sun.... wow... how sad and how brave.... but it's hard for me to believe anyone would do it this way in order to have their family gain financially.... Why not jump into a tree shredder?

Liv wrote:Well if it is true, that it was suicide, and a "sacrifice" for his sun.... wow... how sad and how brave.... but it's hard for me to believe anyone would do it this way in order to have their family gain financially.... Why not jump into a tree shredder?

IT'S 2010 AND GUESS WHAT IT WAS PROVEN TO BE A SUICIDE.

bigrebnc1861 wrote:
Liv wrote:Well if it is true, that it was suicide, and a "sacrifice" for his sun.... wow... how sad and how brave.... but it's hard for me to believe anyone would do it this way in order to have their family gain financially.... Why not jump into a tree shredder?

IT'S 2010 AND GUESS WHAT IT WAS PROVEN TO BE A SUICIDE.

I think we covered that, Mr I'm a bit slow on the uptake.

Liv wrote:
bigrebnc1861 wrote:
Liv wrote:Well if it is true, that it was suicide, and a "sacrifice" for his sun.... wow... how sad and how brave.... but it's hard for me to believe anyone would do it this way in order to have their family gain financially.... Why not jump into a tree shredder?

IT'S 2010 AND GUESS WHAT IT WAS PROVEN TO BE A SUICIDE.

I think we covered that, Mr I'm a bit slow on the uptake.

I don't waste time flushing through all the liberal BS So if I missed a post stating the facts it doesn't hurt to remind you just how wrong you are, when you say he was lynched by someone in the Republican, the Taxed Enoungh Already party.

bigrebnc1861 wrote:I don't waste time flushing through all the liberal BS

Translation: reading

Sanjuro wrote:
bigrebnc1861 wrote:I don't waste time flushing through all the liberal BS

Translation: reading

Are you that obtuse? I guess if you are a liberal you are. If it's an old thread that makes claim of false information I do not read every post in that thread. I flash forward and give the correct information. Maybbe you are unaware about the members of this forum but most aree liberals abd they provide all the BS information.

bigrebnc1861 wrote:
Sanjuro wrote:
bigrebnc1861 wrote:I don't waste time flushing through all the liberal BS

Translation: reading

Are you that obtuse? I guess if you are a liberal you are. If it's an old thread that makes claim of false information I do not read every post in that thread. I flash forward and give the correct information. Maybbe you are unaware about the members of this forum but most aree liberals abd they provide all the BS information.

What the heck are you on about? You posted something that was blatantly proven 3 posts prior because you didnt bother to explore the information at hand. Kindly let it go, move on and please cease with the negative toned innuendo.

Sanjuro wrote:

What the heck are you on about? You posted something that was blatantly proven 3 posts prior because you didnt bother to explore the information at hand. Kindly let it go and move on and please cease with the negative toned innuendo.

TRUTH that's why I am here or maybe you don't read all the misinformation on this board.