AP source: Hanged Census worker had 'fed' on chest

[samanthajane13]

By DEVLIN BARRETT and JEFFREY McMURRAY, Associated Press Writers Devlin Barrett And Jeffrey Mcmurray, Associated Press Writers – 7 mins ago

MANCHESTER, Ky. – A U.S. Census worker found hanged from a tree near a Kentucky cemetery had the word "fed" scrawled on his chest, a law enforcement official said Wednesday, and the FBI is investigating whether he was a victim of anti-government sentiment.

The law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss the case and requested anonymity, did not say what type of instrument was used to write the word on the chest of Bill Sparkman, a 51-year-old part-time Census field worker and teacher. He was found Sept. 12 in a remote patch of the Daniel Boone National Forest in rural southeast Kentucky.

The Census Bureau has suspended door-to-door interviews in rural Clay County, where the body was found, pending the outcome of the investigation. An autopsy report is pending.

Investigators have said little about the case. FBI spokesman David Beyer said the bureau is assisting state police and declined to confirm or discuss any details about the crime scene.

"Our job is to determine if there was foul play involved — and that's part of the investigation — and if there was foul play involved, whether that is related to his employment as a Census worker," said Beyer.

Attacking a federal worker during or because of his federal job is a federal crime.

Sparkman's mother, Henrie Sparkman of Inverness, Fla., told The Associated Press her son was an Eagle scout who moved to the area to be a local director for the Boy Scouts of America. She said he later became a substitute teacher in Laurel County and supplemented that income as a Census worker.

She said investigators have given her few details about her son's death — they told her the body was decomposed — and haven't yet released his body for burial. "I was told it would be better for him to be cremated," she said.

Henrie Sparkman said her son's death is a mystery to her.

"I have my own ideas, but I can't say them out loud. Not at this point," she said. "Right now, what I'm doing, I'm just waiting on the FBI to come to some conclusion."

Gilbert Acciardo, a retired Kentucky state trooper who directs an after-school program at the elementary school where Sparkman was a frequent substitute teacher, said he had warned Sparkman to be careful when he did his Census work.

"I told him on more than one occasion, based on my years in the state police, 'Mr. Sparkman, when you go into those counties, be careful because people are going to perceive you different than they do elsewhere,'" Acciardo said.

"Even though he was with the Census Bureau, sometimes people can view someone with any government agency as 'the government.' I just was afraid that he might meet the wrong character along the way up there," Acciardo said.

Acciardo said he became suspicious when Sparkman didn't show up for work at the after-school program for two days and went to police. Authorities immediately initiated an investigation, he said.

"He was such an innocent person," Acciardo said. "I hate to say that he was naive, but he saw the world as all good, and there's a lot of bad in the world."

Lucindia Scurry-Johnson, assistant director of the Census Bureau's southern office in Charlotte, N.C., said law enforcement officers have told the agency the matter is "an apparent homicide" but nothing else.

Census employees were told Sparkman's truck was found nearby, and a computer he was using for work was found inside it, she said. He worked part-time for the Census, usually conducting interviews once or twice a month.

Sparkman has worked for the Census since 2003, spanning five counties in the surrounding area. Much of his recent work had been in Clay County, officials said.

Door-to-door operations have been suspended in Clay County pending a resolution of the investigation, Scurry-Johnson said.

The Census Bureau has yet to begin door-to-door canvassing for the 2010 head count, but it has thousands of field workers doing smaller surveys on various demographic topics on behalf of federal agencies. Next year, the Census Bureau will dispatch up to 1.2 million temporary employees to locate hard-to-find residents.

The Census Bureau is overseen by the Commerce Department.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of our co-worker," Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with William Sparkman's son, other family and friends."

Locke called him "a shining example of the hardworking men and women employed by the Census Bureau."

Appalachia scholar Roy Silver, a New York City native now living in Harlan County, Ky., said he doesn't sense an outpouring of anti-government sentiment in the region as has been exhibited in town hall meetings in other parts of the country.

"I don't think distrust of government is any more or less here than anywhere else in the country," said Silver, a sociology professor at Southeast Community College.

The most deadly attack on federal workers came in 1995 when the federal building in Oklahoma City was devastated by a truck bomb, killing 168 and injuring more than 680. Timothy McVeigh, who was executed for the bombing, carried literature by modern, ultra-right-wing anti-government authors.

A private group called PEER, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, tracks violence against employees who enforce environmental regulations, but the group's executive director, Jeff Ruch, said it's hard to know about all of the cases because some agencies don't share data on instances of violence against employees.

From 1996 to 2006, according to the group's most recent data, violent incidents against federal Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service workers soared from 55 to 290.

Ruch said that after the 1995 bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, "we kept getting reports from employees that attacks and intimidation against federal employees had not diminished, and that's why we've been tracking them."

"Even as illustrated in town hall meetings today, there is a distinct hostility in a large segment of the population toward people who work for their government," Ruch said.

___

Barrett reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Roger Alford in Frankfort, Ky., Hope Yen in Washington and Dylan T. Lovan in Louisville contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090924/ap_on_re_us/us_census_worker_hanged

[BeastofBears]

There are few scarier jobs that I can imagine than walking randomly up to total strangers doors and asking them probing questions. THIS...has just confirmed my concerns!

[Marian Paroo]

We are discussing this on the debate board I frequent.

A lot of people think it could be from the folks that brought us Oklahoma City.

Or a "regular" murder where the murderer is trying to make it look political.

I'm looking at all possibilities, haven't made up my mind yet.

[samanthajane13]

Feds probe US Census worker hanging in Kentucky
By DEVLIN BARRETT and JEFFREY McMURRAY, Associated Press Writers Devlin Barrett And Jeffrey Mcmurray, Associated Press Writers – 36 mins ago

MANCHESTER, Ky. – When Bill Sparkman told retired trooper Gilbert Acciardo that he was going door-to-door collecting census data in rural Kentucky, the former cop drew on years of experience for a warning: "Be careful."

The 51-year-old Sparkman was found this month hanged from a tree near a Kentucky cemetery with the word "fed" scrawled on his chest, a law enforcement official said Wednesday, and the FBI is investigating whether he was a victim of anti-government sentiment.

"Even though he was with the Census Bureau, sometimes people can view someone with any government agency as 'the government.' I just was afraid that he might meet the wrong character along the way up there," said Acciardo, who directs an after-school program at an elementary school where Sparkman was a frequent substitute teacher.

The Census Bureau has suspended door-to-door interviews in rural Clay County, where the body was found, until the investigation is complete, an official said.

The law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss the case and requested anonymity, did not say what type of instrument was used to write the word on the chest of Sparkman, who was supplementing his income doing Census field work. He was found Sept. 12 in a remote patch of Daniel Boone National Forest and an autopsy report is pending.

Manchester, the main hub of the southeastern Kentucky county, is an exit off the highway, with a Walmart, a few hotels, chain restaurants and a couple gas stations. The drive away from town and toward the area where Sparkman's body was found goes through sparsely populated forest with no streetlights, on winding roads that run up and down steep hills.

Manchester Police Chief Jeff Culver, whose agency is not part of the investigation because the death was outside city limits, said the area where Sparkman was found has a history of problems with prescription drug and methamphetamine trading.

"That part of the county, it has its ups and downs. We'll get a lot of complaints of drug activity. They'll whittle away, then flourish back up," Culver said. He said officers last month rounded up 40 drug suspects, mostly dealers, and made several more arrests in subsequent days.

FBI spokesman David Beyer said the bureau is assisting state police and declined to discuss any details of the crime scene. Agents are trying to determine if foul play was involved and whether it had anything to do with Sparkman's job as Census worker, Beyer said. Attacking a federal worker during or because of his federal job is a federal crime.

Lucindia Scurry-Johnson, assistant director of the Census Bureau's southern office in Charlotte, N.C., said law enforcement officers have told the agency the matter is "an apparent homicide" but nothing else.

Census employees were told Sparkman's truck was found nearby, and a computer he was using for work was inside, she said.

Sparkman's mother, Henrie Sparkman of Inverness, Fla., told The Associated Press her son was an Eagle scout who moved to Kentucky to direct the local Boy Scouts of America. He later became a substitute teacher in Laurel County, adjacent to the county where his body was found.

She said investigators have given her few details about her son's death. They did tell her his body was decomposed and haven't yet released it for burial.

"I was told it would be better for him to be cremated," she said.

Acciardo said he became suspicious and went to police when Sparkman didn't show up for work at the after-school program in Laurel County for two days. Authorities immediately investigated, he said.

"He was such an innocent person," Acciardo said. "I hate to say that he was naive, but he saw the world as all good, and there's a lot of bad in the world."

Sparkman had worked for the Census since 2003 in five counties in the surrounding area, conducting interviews once or twice a month. Much of his recent work had been in Clay County, officials said.

The Census Bureau has yet to begin door-to-door canvassing for the 2010 head count, but thousands of field workers are doing smaller surveys on various demographic topics on behalf of federal agencies. Next year, the Census Bureau will dispatch up to 1.2 million temporary employees to locate hard-to-find residents.

Mary Hibbard, a teacher in Manchester, said she recognized Sparkman on the news as the census worker who visited her house this summer for about 10 minutes. Hibbard said he asked some basic questions including the size of her house, how many rooms it had and how much she paid monthly for electricity.

"I know he has a Christian background," she said. "You come to my house, we're going to talk religion."

Hibbard said she thinks most people in the area were shocked by the death.

"I think the negative publicity of it is a stigma on our county. It makes people think less of us even though this is an isolated incident."

The Census Bureau is overseen by the Commerce Department.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of our co-worker," Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said in a statement.

Locke called him "a shining example of the hardworking men and women employed by the Census Bureau."

Kelsee Brown, a waitress at Huddle House, a 24-hour chain restaurant in Manchester, when asked about the death, said she thinks the government sometimes has the wrong priorities.

"Sometimes I think the government should stick their nose out of people's business and stick their nose in their business at the same time. They care too much about the wrong things," she said.

Appalachia scholar Roy Silver, a New York City native now living in Harlan County, Ky., said he doesn't sense an outpouring of anti-government sentiment in the region as has been exhibited in town hall meetings in other parts of the country.

"I don't think distrust of government is any more or less here than anywhere else in the country," said Silver, a sociology professor at Southeast Community College.

The most deadly attack on federal workers came in 1995 when the federal building in Oklahoma City was devastated by a truck bomb, killing 168 and injuring more than 680. Timothy McVeigh, who was executed for the bombing, carried literature by ultra-right-wing, anti-government authors.

Sparkman's mother is simply waiting for answers.

"I have my own ideas, but I can't say them out loud. Not at this point," she said. "Right now, what I'm doing, I'm just waiting on the FBI to come to some conclusion."

___

Barrett reported from Washington, D.C. Associated Press writers Roger Alford in Frankfort, Ky., Hope Yen in Washington and Dylan T. Lovan in Louisville contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090924/ap_on_re_us/us_census_worker_hanged

[samanthajane13]

Area where census worker died has troubled history
By JEFFREY McMURRAY and ALLEN G. BREED, Associated Press Writers Jeffrey Mcmurray And Allen G. Breed, Associated Press Writers – 11 mins ago

BIG CREEK, Ky. – A census worker found hanged from a tree with the word "fed" scrawled on his chest met his end in a corner of Appalachia with an abundance of meth labs and marijuana fields — and a reputation for mistrusting government that dates back to the days of moonshiners and "revenuers."

But the investigation has yet to determine whether the death of the 51-year-old part-time schoolteacher represents real anti-government sentiment. At this point, police cannot say whether Bill Sparkman's death was a homicide, an accident or even a suicide.

"We are not downplaying the significance of his position with the U.S. Census bureau," said Capt. Lisa Rudzinski, commander of the Kentucky State Police post in London. "We can assure the public we are looking at every possible aspect of Mr. Sparkman's death."

But locals are already bracing for suggestions that the killing was the result of anti-government sentiment in the mountains. It does not help that the death occurred in impoverished Clay County, one of the poorest in the country with an unemployment rate of 14.5 percent and an overall poverty rate more than three times the national average.

Sparkman, a Boy Scout leader and substitute teacher who was supplementing his income as a part-time census field worker, was found Sept. 12 in a remote patch of the Daniel Boone National Forest.

Police said Thursday that the preliminary cause of death was asphyxiation. Authorities said Sparkman, who a friend said had been treated for cancer, was found with a rope around his neck that was tied to a tree, but that he was "in contact with the ground."

The word "fed" had been scrawled on his chest, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the case.

Dee Davis, president of the Center for Rural Strategies in nearby Whitesburg, said the federal government has done "precious little" in Clay County other than building a federal prison in Manchester in the 1990s. But he is not aware of any deep-seated hatred of the government.

"Government is not seen as the enemy, except for people who might fear getting caught for what they're doing," he said.

Army retiree George Robinson did door-to-door census work in Clay County in 2000. No one ever threatened him, but some people questioned why the government needed to know some of the information, especially income, requested on the census form.

"You meet some strange people," he said. "Nothing is a surprise in Clay County."

Appalachia — particularly eastern Kentucky — has long had an image of being wary of and sometimes hostile toward strangers. Incidents such as the September 1967 shooting of Canadian filmmaker Hugh O'Connor — who was gunned down by an enraged landowner while making a documentary on poverty in nearby Letcher County — have done nothing to dispel such notions.

O'Connor was killed as President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty highlighted the region's destitution. Many locals, such as confessed shooter Hobart Ison, had long since grown tired of outsiders exploiting the region's natural resources.

University of Pittsburgh sociologist Kathleen Blee, co-author of a book about Clay County, says that when she heard of Sparkman's death, she initially wondered whether he had stumbled across a marijuana plot.

Pot growers seeking to avoid federal forfeiture statutes often plant their crops on national forest land and have even been known to booby-trap plots with explosives and rattlesnakes.

"Like any poor county, people are engaged in a variety of revenue sources," she said. "Not all of them legal."

Davis acknowledged Clay's "pretty wild history of a black market economy, a drug economy." He noted that Sparkman's death occurred at a time when marijuana producers are typically harvesting their crop.

"And so you have to be careful when you send some unsuspecting guy who's just trying to earn a buck to feed his family," he said. "Things can go bad really quickly."

Although the Census Bureau could not immediately offer statistics on violence against its workers, such incidents are not unheard of.

In 2000, a Milwaukee-area man was charged with battery for allegedly trying to shove a 74-year-old census worker down a flight of stairs. And in 2002, a Sacramento businessman was sentenced to a year in prison for violently dragging a 68-year-old widow off his property as she tried to explain the count's importance.

After Sparkman's body was found, the Census Bureau suspended door-to-door interviews in rural Clay County until the investigation is complete.

The bureau has yet to begin canvassing for the 2010 head count, but thousands of field workers like Sparkman are doing smaller surveys on various demographic topics on behalf of federal agencies.

Mary Hibbard, a teacher at an adult learning center in Manchester, said Sparkman visited her house this summer. He asked basic information, like the size of her house, how many rooms it had and how much she paid monthly on her electric bill.

She seized the opportunity to ask him about his faith.

"You come to my house, we're going to talk religion," she said.

Eastern Kentucky is a region of many churches, and Hibbard thinks most people in the area would be shocked if it turns out Sparkman was murdered.

"I think the negative publicity of it is a stigma on our county," she said. "It makes people think less of us, even though this is an isolated incident. When it happens here, it seems like it's emphasized."

___

Breed reported from Raleigh, N.C. Associated Press writers Joe Biesk in Frankfort, Roger Alford in London, Ky., and Bruce Schreiner in Louisville also contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090924/ap_on_re_us/us_census_worker_hanged;_ylt=AqKuHm6e18xWCVQK7jjHq Q1Y24cA;_ylu=X3oDMTJxb3JxN2g2BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkwO TI0L3VzX2NlbnN1c193b3JrZXJfaGFuZ2VkBGNwb3MDNgRwb3M DNgRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3JpZXMEc2xrA2FyZWF3aGVyZWNlb g--

[samanthajane13]

Witness: Census worker's hanging body naked, bound
By ROGER ALFORD and JEFFREY McMURRAY, Associated Press Writer Roger Alford And Jeffrey Mcmurray, Associated Press Writer – 1 min ago

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.

Authorities have also said the word "fed" was scrawled with a felt-tip pen across 51-year-old Bill Sparkman's chest, but they have released very few details about the case and said investigators have not determined if it was a homicide, suicide or an accident.

Federal, state and local authorities have refused to say if Sparkman was at work going to door-to-door for census surveys in the time before his death, but his Census identification tag was found taped to his body.

Jerry Weaver of Fairfield, Ohio, told The Associated Press on Friday that he was among a group of relatives who made the gruesome discovery 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."

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.

Weaver said he couldn't tell if the tag was a Census Bureau ID because he didn't get close enough to read it. But both of the people briefed on the investigation confirmed Sparkman's Census ID was found taped to his head and shoulder area.

Weaver said he could see something written on Sparkman's chest but he did not go close enough to read it.

While authorities confirmed for the first time Thursday that asphyxiation was the cause of death, even the details behind that were murky. According to a Kentucky State Police statement, the body was hanging from a tree with a noose around the neck, yet it was in contact with the ground.

Weaver, who works for a family topsoil business in Fairfield, said he was in town for a family reunion and was visiting family grave sites at the cemetery when he and family members including his wife and daughter came across the body.

The scene left Weaver without a doubt how Sparkman died.

"He was murdered," he said. "There's no doubt."

Weaver said the body was about 50 yards from a 2003 Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck. He said Sparkman's clothes were in the bed of the truck.

"His tailgate was down," Weaver said. "I thought he could have been killed somewhere else and brought there and hanged up for display, or they actually could have killed him right there. It was a bad, bad scene."

"It took me three or four good nights to sleep. My 20-year-old daughter ended up sleeping in the floor in our bedroom." he said.

Clay County Sheriff Kevin Johnson declined to comment on the investigation because the department is only playing a supporting role but said patrols have increased in the Daniel Boone National Forest since the body was found.

The Census Bureau has suspended door-to-door interviews in the rural county pending the investigation.

Trooper Trosper said it was clear this wasn't a natural death but said all other possibilities were being considered.

"This case has many facets," he said. "To investigate cases, you have to rule out different scenarios. We are not able to rule out many scenarios at this time, and that's what makes this a difficult case."

Although anti-government sentiment was one possibility in the death, some in law enforcement also cited the prevalence of drug activity in the area — including meth labs and marijuana fields — although they had no reason to believe there was a link to Sparkman's death.

"Now they're taking their meth lab operations into the rural, secluded areas," Clay County Sheriff Kevin Johnson said. "We've had complaints in the area, but not that particular location."

___

Associated Press Writer Devlin Barrett in Washington contributed to this report. Alford reported from Frankfort.

(This version CORRECTS that Weaver did see writing on the body's chest, but he could not read it.)


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090926/ap_on_re_us/us_census_worker_hanged

[samanthajane13]

Family cemetery visit led to hanged census worker
By ROGER ALFORD and JEFFREY McMURRAY, Associated Press Writer Roger Alford And Jeffrey Mcmurray, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 31 mins ago

BIG CREEK, Ky. – A family's visit to a rural Kentucky cemetery led to the shocking discovery of a part-time census worker's naked body hanging from a tree with the word "fed" written on his chest.

Jerry Weaver of Fairfield, Ohio, told The Associated Press the man had been gagged and his hands and feet were bound with duct tape.

Weaver said Friday he was certain from the gruesome scene that 51-year-old Bill Sparkman was killed deliberately.

"He was murdered," Weaver said. "There's no doubt."

Weaver said he was in rural Clay County, Ky., for a family reunion and was visiting some family graves at the cemetery on Sept. 12 along with his wife and daughter when they saw the body.

"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."

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.

Authorities have said a preliminary cause of death was asphyxiation, pending a full medical examination. According to a Kentucky State Police statement, the body was hanging from a tree with a rope around the neck, yet it was in contact with the ground.

"And they even had duct tape around his neck," Weaver said. "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."

Both of the people briefed on the investigation confirmed that Sparkman's Census Bureau ID was found taped to his head and shoulder area. Weaver said he couldn't tell if the tag was a Census ID because he didn't get close enough to read it. He could see writing on Sparkman's chest, but could not read that it said "fed."

Authorities have said the word was scrawled with a felt-tip pen.

Weaver, who works for a family topsoil business in Fairfield, said the body was about 50 yards from a 2003 Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck. He said Sparkman's clothes were in the bed of the truck.

"His tailgate was down," Weaver said. "I thought he could have been killed somewhere else and brought there and hanged up for display, or they actually could have killed him right there. It was a bad, bad scene.

"It took me three or four good nights to sleep. My 20-year-old daughter ended up sleeping in the floor in our bedroom," he said.

Sparkman, a Boy Scout leader and substitute teacher, was supplementing his income as a part-time census field worker. Authorities have refused to say if Sparkman was at work going to door-to-door for census surveys before he died.

After Sparkman's body was found, the Census Bureau suspended door-to-door interviews in Clay County until the investigation is complete.

Clay County Sheriff Kevin Johnson declined to comment on the investigation because the department is only playing a supporting role but said patrols have increased in the Daniel Boone National Forest since the body was found.

State Trooper Don Trosper said it was clear this wasn't a natural death but said all other possibilities were being considered.

"We are not able to rule out many scenarios at this time, and that's what makes this a difficult case," he said.

Although anti-government sentiment was one possibility in the death, some in law enforcement also cited the prevalence of drug activity in the area — including meth labs and marijuana fields — although they had no reason to believe there was a link to Sparkman's death.

___

Associated Press Writer Devlin Barrett in Washington contributed to this report. Alford reported from Frankfort.

(This version CORRECTS AP Video. corrects 10th graf to say 'could not read')


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090926/ap_on_re_us/us_census_worker_hanged;_ylt=Aurc1Bqmd8JvsG80OIxzZ jlY24cA;_ylu=X3oDMTJxNzlwNHJpBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkwO TI2L3VzX2NlbnN1c193b3JrZXJfaGFuZ2VkBGNwb3MDNgRwb3M DNgRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3JpZXMEc2xrA2ZhbWlseWNlbWV0Z Q--

[samanthajane13]

AP Exclusive: Son sure Ky. census taker was slain
By JEFFREY McMURRAY, Associated Press Writer Jeffrey Mcmurray, Associated Press Writer – 31 mins ago

LONDON, Ky. – The son of a U.S. Census Bureau worker found hanged from a tree in eastern Kentucky with the word "fed" scrawled on his chest says he has no doubt his father was slain.

Josh Sparkman tells The Associated Press he's frustrated investigators won't confirm that and continue to say they haven't ruled out suicide or accidental death.

Bill Sparkman was a substitute teacher and part-time census worker whose body was found tied to a tree with a rope around his neck in a remote Appalachian forest earlier this month. The Clay County coroner says "fed" was written on the 51-year-old's chest, apparently in felt tip pen.

Josh Sparkman, a 19-year-old adopted by Bill Sparkman when he was a baby, says police and the FBI have searched his father's home but told him little.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090929/ap_on_re_us/us_census_worker_hanged

[samanthajane13]

Probe into Ky. census worker's death concludes
By ROGER ALFORD, Associated Press Writer Roger Alford, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 50 mins ago

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Authorities were set Tuesday to release findings from an investigation into the death of a census worker found hanging from a tree with the word "fed" scrawled on his chest.

Kentucky State Police Lt. David Jude said a news conference would be held at 2 p.m. EST. Federal and state investigators who have been working the case since September haven't yet announced whether Bill Sparkman's death was a homicide, suicide or accident.

Sparkman's naked body was found Sept. 12 near a cemetery in a heavily wooded area of southeastern Kentucky. One of the witnesses who found the body in the Daniel Boone National Forest said the 51-year-old was bound with duct tape, gagged and had an identification badge taped to his neck.

Authorities have said "fed" was likely written in pen.

The Associated Press previously reported, citing law enforcement officials who spoke anonymously, that investigators were examining whether Sparkman manipulated the scene in order to conceal a suicide and make a life insurance claim possible for his son. The two law enforcement officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case.

Life insurance policies typically do not cover suicides within a certain time period after the policy begins.

Because he was a census employee, Sparkman's family would have been be eligible for up to $10,000 in death gratuity payments if he was killed on the job, according to the Office of Personnel Management. He was not eligible for a separate life insurance policy through the government because his census work was intermittent, Census Bureau spokesman Stephen Buckner has previously said.

Friends and co-workers have said that even while undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, Sparkman would show up for work smiling with a toboggan cap to cover his balding head. They said the substitute teacher and part-time census worker cherished the values he learned in his youth as he worked toward becoming an Eagle Scout. They said he was punctual and dependable.

___

Associated Press writer Devlin Barrett in Washington contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091124/ap_on_re_us/us_census_worker_hanged

[samanthajane13]

Police: Ky. census worker staged death as homicide
By BRUCE SCHREINER and ROGER ALFORD, Associated Press Writers Bruce Schreiner And Roger Alford, Associated Press Writers – 2 hrs 19 mins ago

FRANKFORT, Ky. – On the surface it all seemed like a gruesome hate crime in a rural part of Kentucky with a history of disdain for the government: a census worker found bound with duct tape and hanging from a tree, the word "fed" scrawled across his chest.

But investigators noticed the foot-tall letters scrawled in black felt-tip pen looked like they could have been written by the victim himself, and they soon found out that he believed he had cancer, had two insurance policies worth $600,000, and had an adult son in need of money.

Investigators said Tuesday what they had been hinting at for weeks, that Bill Sparkman's hanging was a ruse to mask his suicide for a big insurance payout.

The key clue was the lack of defense wounds — the only visible marks on his body were a furrow around his neck and insect bites.

"Underneath the tape there was no trauma, and that's what I always want to look for," said Dr. Cristin Rolf, deputy state medical examiner. "If there is ever a homicide, a healthy person would put up a good fight and you would see injury and trauma to the neck and to the arms."

On Sept. 12, the Kentucky resident drove his Chevy pickup — packed with a rope, a roll of duct tape and some red rags — deep into the Kentucky woods, where outsiders are mostly treated with distrust and apprehension. He stripped down to his socks and walked to a nearby cemetery.

He taped his ankles and wrists, but his wrists were bound so loosely that he had considerable mobility, leaving investigators to believe he could have done the taping himself, authorities said. He scrawled the word "fed" upside down on his chest, taped his Census Bureau ID to his head, stuck a red cloth into his mouth and placed another piece of tape over it.

Sparkman then strung a rope from a tree, placed a noose around his neck, and leaned forward, using his own body weight to cut off oxygen to his brain, investigators said.

He likely became lightheaded from lack of oxygen, then lost consciousness. "It would not be an excruciating death," said Mike Wilder, executive director of the state medical examiner's office.

Sparkman was found touching the ground, almost at his knees, and the man who discovered him was convinced Sparkman had been killed.

"To survive, all Mr. Sparkman had to do at any time was stand up," said Kentucky State Police Capt. Lisa Rudzinski.

No drugs or alcohol were found in his system. No one else was involved in Sparkman's suicide, Rudzinski said, ending their investigation.

In addition, Rolf said the autopsy found no signs of a recurrence of Sparkman's cancer, so his cancer fears were unfounded.

Sparkman's mother bristled at the investigators' conclusion, releasing a two-word statement to The Associated Press. Henrie Sparkman of Inverness, Fla., wrote in an e-mail: "I disagree!"

When authorities initially announced the death, the FBI said it was investigating whether Sparkman was a victim of anti-government sentiment.

Appalachia has long had an image of being wary of and sometimes hostile toward strangers. Incidents such as the September 1967 shooting of Canadian filmmaker Hugh O'Connor, who was gunned down by an enraged landowner while making a documentary on poverty in nearby Letcher County, have done nothing to dispel such notions.

In hardscrabble Clay County, tucked into the Appalachian hills, the conclusion that Sparkman was not killed by anti-government zealots was seen as a vindication for the area.

"That's a horrible thing that's happened to that fellow," said community activist Doug Abner. "But like most Clay countians, I feel like we get a bad rap. It's just a stereotypical thing."

About a week before his death, Sparkman talked about his plan to someone who didn't take him seriously, authorities said. They would not identify the person.

Sparkman, a former Boy Scout leader and substitute teacher who lived in the southeastern Kentucky town of Manchester, was supplementing his income as a part-time census field worker.

Sparkman had taken out two accidental life insurance policies since late 2008 totaling $600,000 that would not pay out for suicide, authorities said. Rudzinski said the insurance payout was one motive for suicide, but Sparkman had also told "a credible witness" that he believed his lymphoma, which he had previously been treated for, had recurred.

Sparkman's son, Josh, previously told the AP that his father had named him as his life insurance beneficiary. Josh Sparkman said earlier this month he found paperwork for the private life insurance policy among his father's personal files but wasn't sure of the amount.

Investigators wouldn't say who was listed as the beneficiary in the life insurance policies. Sparkman had made his son Josh the heir to his estate, which included a home worth about $80,000, according to Laurel County property records.

Josh Sparkman is unemployed. He said previously that friends have chipped in to help gather money for him to make one monthly mortgage check, but he said he remains behind on other payments. He did not return telephone messages Tuesday.

The Census Bureau suspended door-to-door interviews in the rural area after Sparkman's body was found, but a spokesman said normal operations would resume in Clay County next month.

"The death of our co-worker, William Sparkman, was a tragedy and remains a loss for the Census Bureau family. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends," census spokesman Stephen Buckner said.

Sparkman's mother has said her son was an Eagle scout who moved to the area to be a local director for the Boy Scouts of America. He later became a substitute teacher.

Friends and co-workers have said that even while undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, Sparkman would show up for work smiling with a toboggan cap to cover his balding head.

___

Associated Press writer Hope Yen in Washington contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091125/ap_on_re_us/us_census_worker_hanged

[BeastofBears]

Isn't it interesting how when it was "crazy wing-nuts" that did this, it was Big News. When it's a suicide, you hardly hear a peep.

[samanthajane13]

Authorities: Hanged Ky. census worker killed self
By BRUCE SCHREINER and ROGER ALFORD, Associated Press Writers Bruce Schreiner And Roger Alford, Associated Press Writers – 1 hr 29 mins ago

FRANKFORT, Ky. – When an eastern Kentucky census worker was found naked, bound with duct tape and hanging from a tree with "fed" scrawled on his chest, suspicion fell on the hardscrabble Appalachian area where bad news seems like a way of life.

Perhaps Bill Sparkman had been a victim of violent anti-government sentiment in an area known for a rampant drug trade and where "revenuer" is still a dirty word.

That speculation was doused Tuesday when authorities said that Sparkman killed himself but staged his death to make it look like a homicide. The conclusion that Sparkman died by his own hands, and not by those of anti-government zealots, was seen by Clay County community activist Doug Abner as a vindication for the area.

"That's a horrible thing that's happened to that fellow," Abner, senior pastor at the nondenominational Community Church in Manchester, said in a phone interview. "But like most Clay countians, I feel like we get a bad rap. It's just a stereotypical thing."

Abner was always skeptical of the speculation that Sparkman may have been a victim of anti-government sentiment, saying "We're really not that bad."

"We're not asking for an apology," he added. "We just want people to start looking at us different."

Sparkman, 51, was found strangled Sept. 12 with a rope around his neck near a cemetery in a heavily wooded area of the Daniel Boone National Forest in southeastern Kentucky.

On Tuesday, authorities for the first time released key details such as Sparkman's wrists being bound so loosely that he could have done the taping himself. Kentucky State Police Capt. Lisa Rudzinski said an analysis found that the "fed" on his chest was written "from the bottom up."

He was touching the ground almost to his knees, and to survive "all Mr. Sparkman had to do at any time was stand up," she said.

Authorities said Sparkman was not under the influence of any drugs or alcohol at the time of his death. His clothes were found in the bed of his nearby pickup truck.

"Our investigation, based on evidence and witness testimony, has concluded that Mr. Sparkman died during an intentional, self-inflicted act that was staged to appear as a homicide," Rudzinski said.

Sparkman's mother, Henrie Sparkman of Inverness, Fla., bristled at the conclusion: "I disagree!" she wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

Authorities said Sparkman alone manipulated the suicide scene, which was so elaborate that a man who discovered the body was convinced Sparkman was murdered.

Rudzinski said Sparkman "told a credible witness that he planned to commit suicide and provided details on how and when."

Authorities wouldn't say who Sparkman told of his plan, but said Sparkman talked about it a week before his suicide and the person did not take him seriously. He told the person he believed his lymphoma, which he had previously been treated for, had recurred, police said.

Sparkman also had recently taken out two accidental life insurance policies totaling $600,000 that would not pay out for suicide, authorities said. One policy was taken out in late 2008; the other in May.

If Sparkman had been killed on the job, his family also would have been be eligible for up to $10,000 in death gratuity payments from the government.

Sparkman's son, Josh, previously told AP that his father had named him as his life insurance beneficiary. Josh Sparkman said earlier this month he found paperwork for the private life insurance policy among his father's personal files but wasn't sure of the amount. Police wouldn't say who the beneficiary was.

The Census Bureau suspended door-to-door interviews in the rural area after Sparkman's body was found, but a spokesman said normal operations would resume in Clay County next month.

Anti-government sentiment was initially one possibility in the death. Authorities said Sparkman had discussed perceived negative views of the federal government in the county.

A friend of Sparkman's, Gilbert Acciardo, previously told AP that he warned Sparkman to be careful when he did his census work. Acciardo, a retired Kentucky state trooper, said he told Sparkman people in the area would view him differently because he worked for the federal government.

"The death of our co-worker, William Sparkman, was a tragedy and remains a loss for the Census Bureau family. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends," said census spokesman Stephen Buckner.

State Sen. Robert Stivers of Manchester also expressed sympathy for Sparkman's family but charged the media with rushing to "sensationalize" before all the facts were known.

"They have painted us with a brush that should have never been used," he said.

Stivers predicted mixed feelings among Clay County residents about the conclusion reached by police that Sparkman died of a suicide and was not the victim of anti-government rage.

"They'll be relieved that it has been debunked, but they will be upset that the speculation was reached without a proper investigation," he said.

___

Associated Press writer Hope Yen in Washington contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091125/ap_on_bi_ge/us_census_worker_hanged

[samanthajane13]

Police: Ky. census worker had told of suicide plan
By ROGER ALFORD and BRUCE SCHREINER, Associated Press Writers Roger Alford And Bruce Schreiner, Associated Press Writers – 7 mins ago

FRANKFORT, Ky. – An eastern Kentucky census worker found naked, bound and hanging from a tree had told a friend he intended to kill himself and that he had chosen the time, place and method to do it, police records show.

Those records about the death of Bill Sparkman were released Friday to The Associated Press by the Kentucky State Police.

Sparkman, 51, was found strangled with a rope around his neck near a rural cemetery in September with the word "fed" scrawled on his chest. It triggered a state and federal investigation that ultimately determined he had committed suicide.

The records show that Sparkman's friend, Lowell Adams, who had worked for Sparkman as a part-time security guard since 2007, told investigators that the federal employee wanted his suicide to look like a murder.

Adams said Sparkman told him that he had even practiced self-asphyxiation and had been able to cause himself to black out before he staged his death.

Sparkman's body was found Sept. 12 near Hoskins Cemetery in a heavily wooded area of the Daniel Boone National Forest. Investigators said Sparkman's wrists were bound so loosely that he could have done the taping himself. He was touching the ground almost to his knees. To survive, "all Mr. Sparkman had to do at any time was stand up," Capt. Lisa Rudzinksi of the Kentucky State Police said.

Adams, who passed a polygraph test on his statements, told authorities Sparkman paid him $7.50 per hour in cash to travel with him in the remote areas when he canvassed door to door for the census.

"In reality Bill spoke with me several times about killing himself and, on the Saturday before his death he told me he was going to kill himself on the next Wednesday," Adams said in a written statement included in more than 200 pages of investigative records.

Adams said Sparkman, who once had lymphoma, preferred to kill himself rather than to die from cancer.

"Bill said he had chosen a place to kill himself 'in the woods' in Clay County and he intended to hang himself," Adams said. "He said he intended to tie his hands behind his back so it would appear that someone else did it, to appear like a murder."

Adams said Sparkman asked him if he wanted to get drunk with him the weekend before his death. Adams said Sparkman bought a case of Budweiser beer in Richmond. An autopsy found that Sparkman was not under the influence of any drugs or alcohol at the time of his death. It also found that Sparkman did not have cancer.

Sparkman had taken out two accidental life insurance policies totaling $600,000 that would not pay in case of suicide, authorities said. One policy was taken out in late 2008; the other in May.

Had Sparkman been killed on the job, his family also would have been be eligible for up to $10,000 in death benefits from the government.

Sparkman, a former Boy Scout leader and substitute teacher who lived in the southeastern Kentucky town of Manchester, was supplementing his income as a part-time census field worker.

Investigators said when they went to Sparkman's house to investigate his death they found no signs of foul play. What they did find was lots of dust and cobwebs.

"There were no signs of struggle that would indicate that William Sparkman was taken out of his home against his will," investigators wrote in a lengthy report.

Witnesses said the cemetery where Sparkman committed suicide was known for "a large amount of drug activity" including the production of methamphetamine.

In the days preceding Sparkman's death, a wrecker driver reported to police that he had been behind a pickup truck with several people in the cab and noticed what he "believed to be a pair of hands bound together rise out of the bed."

Sparkman left detailed instructions to his son, Josh, then 19, about business and insurance matters: "If I am dead and depending on how it happened and how much insurance is available, here is what you do. I wish to either be cremated or given to science. But whatever you want to do is fine."

In his parting words he told his son, "I love you and will always do so."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100116/ap_on_re_us/us_census_worker_hanged