Motorists See Body Hanging in Tree by Interstate

BESSEMER, ALABAMA-The body was found hanging from a tree in the early hours of dawn Friday, viewable by motorists passing the scene only yards away on Interstate 59. Around 6:45 in the morning, Bessemer City Police received a call from a passing motorist who had apparently viewed the frightening location of the hanging body and immediately placed the call to authorities.

The unidentified motorist who reported the whereabouts of the mysterious hanging told police that the body was about 25 yards from the south bound side of the interstate (Interstate 59), at mile marker 107, near the Academy Drive exit in Bessemer. This commercial area is heavily populated with commuters starting their work day commute by way of the Interstate during the morning hours, and is the direct location of restaurants such as Wendy's Hamburger's and a Waffle House Restaurant, located not too far from lodging establishments such as the Holiday Inn Express, and shopping centers such as the Wal - Mart Supercenter.

As of the last reports about the incident, this morning, Bessemer Police only know a few details about the body found hanging exactly as the motorist reported, viewable by the Interstate only 20 to 25 yards away. According to Police Spokesman Sgt. Hank Edwards, the body is that of a twenty - four year old white male.

Other authorities told the local Birmingham, Alabama FOX 6 News Station that the victim, ironically, worked for a tree - cutting service, and lived near the spot where his body was seen by the passing motorist. It was also said that the young man also had a prior criminal history in Bessemer.

Sgt. Hank Edwards stated that the Jefferson County Coroner would be conducting an autopsy to find the true cause of death; however, investigators on the case speculate that the county coroner will conclude that suicide was the factor that ended the young man's life. He went on to say that there had been legal identification found with the body, but that the young man's identity could not be given to the public until authorities had been given enough time to contact the man's next of kin.

Edwards further stated that though Bessemer investigators are currently unsure of how long the young man had been hanging there, for Sgt. Edwards, this definitely marks "the first time I've ever seen anything like this in eleven years."