Census Worker Death Investigation Update (Police say AP report "riddled with inaccuracies")

[sabra]

Source: WTVQ

Kentucky State Police are working alongside the FBI to determine what happened to a census worker found dead in Clay County. Police are now saying that some media reports about what happened to Bill Sparkman are riddled with inaccuracies.

The body of 51-year-old Sparkman was found near a cemetery deep inside the Daniel Boone National Forest on September 12th.

Citing an unidentified law enforcement official, the Associated Press, and other news outlets are reporting Sparkman was found hanged with the word ‘FED’ scrawled across his chest. Sparkman was going door to door collecting information for the US Census Bureau.

Today, State Police would not confirm they had any indications Sparkman was targeted because of his government job. Officer Don Trosper says the FBI was initially contacted just as a courtesy to let them know the death of a federal worker is being investigated.

Read more: http://www.wtvq.com/news/290-census-worker-death-investigation-update.html

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more:

http://www.thetimestribune.com/breakingnews/local_story_267170659.html

Census worker died from asphyxiation

The Kentucky State Police, Post 11, London has learned that the official cause of death for William E. Sparkman, Jr., 51, of London, is listed as asphyxiation.

Mr. Sparkman was discovered on September 12, 2009 at approximately 6:22 p.m. near a cemetery in rural Clay County, Kentucky.

Mr. Sparkman was found with a rope around his neck that was tied to a tree, but he was in contact with the ground.

Further updates will be forthcoming as the investigation continues.

[ShortnFiery]

1. Yes, it was "a courtesy" to contact the FBI because a federal worker was murdered?

:crazy:

[SDuderstadt]

2. Why would that be unusual? n/t

[Demeter]

3. Somebody Called Out the Shovels

Trying to bury this. Doesn't sound like a denial of anything to me. Just a coverup.

[intheflow]

10. Maybe a cover-up, maybe not.

It's not like the media has never been known to hear a rumor and run with it, like the stories of multiple murders in the Superdome after Katrina, or denying some NOLA police shot people trying to escape flood waters. Or it may be that the word "Fed" was on the body, but they're trying to contain the crime scene so that when they do catch the bastard(s) responsible for this, they'll be able to interrogate them and see what knowledge of the crime scene might be known by that person that would be unknown (or only known in rumored version) by the vast majority of people.

I'm not defending law enforcement here--God knows all law enforcement agencies have covered up of all kinds of crimes in the past--but I am saying that there are plenty of rumors going around about this case from all sides without idly adding to the speculation.

[silenttigersong]

16. I agree

Law enforcement has to be very careful or they could lose a case.

[daleo]

11. Can't say for sure, but it could be a coverup

But it may be that the powers that be want to downplay this story. The police statement has the ring of lying with the truth - after all, most media reports can be described as "riddled with inaccuracies".

[HopeHoops]

4. Move along here. Nothing to see. Move along.

Something smells funky in Kentucky and this time it isn't that greasy, stinky-ass pork BBQ in the all-you-can-eat joints.

[silenttigersong]

5. Sounds like..

a serial killer to me,thrill kill.

[starroute]

6. Why is there a cemetery deep inside a national forest?

That part in itself sounds kind of strange. I mean, maybe there's a logical explanation for it, but none comes to mind.

At this point, I think my money's on the Cthulhu-worshippers. Makes as much sense as anything else.

[WriteDown]

7. Made a National Forest after the cemetary was built?

:shrug:

[bertman]

9. Now there's a crazy-assed conspiracy theory for ya!!

:o

[Ex Lurker]

12. national forests have private inholdings scattered all through them

most grandfathered in since before the national forest came into existence. Nothing unusual about that part.

[grantcart]

15. except that cemetaries are usually situated near towns, was their an old town nearby?

[jberryhill]

17. When towns are abandoned....

...the folks in the cemetery typically don't get the word to move on.

[Igel]

21. Not necessarily.

A lot of national parks in TN and KY started in the 1930s and required that the government buy up land. The same applied elsewhere, too--there are still old, decrepit remains of houses in the Gettysburg National whatever-it-is. For the larger partks, this means there are old farms and even small dead communities in the park.

But not all the parks were completed.

This is one of them. It's less than 1/2 federally owned, the rest is private or "other". They swap federally-owned bits with non-federally owned bits to consolidate their holdings. (This sometimes results in a scandal, of course, because while it's policy sometimes Congress intervenes to make the US Parks' decision for them, or to sweeten thedeal.) However, there are still towns in the park, on land that's proclaimed to be parkland, and often shown on maps (look at Google maps, for instance) to be parkland, but which isn't parkland.

This may be one that was abandoned, one that's merely full and neglected, or one that's still being used (not just occupied).

[Ex Lurker]

26. it didn't have to be a town. If there was a scattering of families in the area

there would be a church, and a church almost always had a cemetary.

[Crzyrussell]

8. He probably

stumble acroos a metha lab or something. Once an arrest is made we will know more...

[Ex Lurker]

13. that's my guess n/t

[silenttigersong]

14. I bet they

have a suspect already,just have to wait for the forensics.

[Tempest]

20. I wouldn't bet much

If that were the case, the FBI would have turned the investigation over to the local police and gone home.

[kickitup]

23. the local police???????????

The FBI was just there this spring to clean the hell hole up, including if I recall the local chief of police. I wouldn't trust a small-town police squad anywhere in southeastern Kentucky and yeah I live here.

[jberryhill]

24. Man....

This is the United States of America.

I can't see how in this day and age we can have places like the Pashtun warlord dominated hills of the Pakistan/Afghanistan border country.

[Tempest]

19. Highly doubtful

As someone else pointed out in another thread, if it were pot growers or meth labs they would have disposed of the body and not left it on display.

Why would they want to draw attention to themselves?

[silenttigersong]

18. They have to

find the first crime scene,cuz it sounds like he was killed, and then brought to where his body was discovered.If he was near a cemetery,this person has some knowledge of the area.This could be (near cemetery)his way of remorse,panic,perhaps at least try to bury the body.He could have been stalking the victim,scoped out the area prior to the murder.I think he had to have cover,if FED was carved into his chest ,likely he did it before taking the body to the area,not enough time to bury him.Made it look like he was hanged.

[appamado amata padam]

22. Oh man; clicked on the link, and

saw his picture in school cap and gown. Seems like someone who was trying to better himself, and do some good in the world. This really makes me sad.

[Historic NY]

25. Courtesy..its a National Forest the US Forest Service has jurisdiction..

its law enforcement section. If there was concurrent written agreement it would be different.

http://www.fs.fed.us/lei/

[Ex Lurker]

28. there's a national forest where I live

the law enforcement rangers are also deputized by the county sheriff, so they can enforce any local laws they see being broken. There doesn't seem to be as much animosity/suspicion here between the feds and the locals.

[goclark]

27. So if his feet were near the ground he was not hung?

Did his feet have to be embedded in the ground , how deep? :shrug: