MANCHESTER, Ky. (AP) -- Kentucky State Police say the preliminary cause of death for a census worker found near an eastern Kentucky cemetery is asphyxiation.
The body of 51-year-old William E. Sparkman was found in rural Clay County on Sept. 12. State police said in a statement Thursday that Sparkman was found with a rope around his neck that was tied to a tree, but his body was in contact with the ground.
Capt. Lisa Rudzinski, commander of the Kentucky State Police post in London, says law enforcement "has not been able to rule out accidental death, suicide or homicide."
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