I feel so fuckin' disgusted right now. Read this believable bullshit:

For more information people can call the Sheriff Pip Jackson, of the Wilkerson county Mississippi Sheriff’s office. The sheriff is black. His number is: 601 888-3511. They are not giving up much information but should still be flooded with calls demanding a federal investigation.

Friday, April 23, 2004 · Last updated 8:11 p.m. PT


Washington man found hanging from tree

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WOODVILLE, Miss. -- Family members say a man found Friday hanging from a tree in rural Mississippi had returned home to fight for his family's land.

The body of 55-year-old Roy Veal was discovered in Wilkinson County, relatives said.

Warren Strain, spokesman for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, said the body was discovered about midday in a wooded area of the county near Woodville. Authorities declined to identify the man pending notification of relatives.

But Doris Gordon, a Woodville native now living in San Francisco, said the victim was her brother, Roy Veal of Washington state. Thelma Veal, the man's mother, also confirmed the identity.

"They found my brother hanging from a tree with a hood over his head and some papers burned at his feet," Gordon said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from San Francisco. "It's awful. We don't know who did it."

Oliver James, 72, one of the men who led authorities to Veal's body, said there appeared to be a blue-flowered cover over Veal's head. James said one of the investigators said it appeared to be a pillow case. James also said Veal's truck was parked about 50 feet away.

Gordon, who said she would be returning to Woodville as soon as possible, said her brother had returned to the family home in Wilkinson County "to help with a lawsuit pending against our family."

"There are people trying to take part of our land because they apparently think there is oil on the land," she said.

Strain said the Highway Patrol's Bureau of Investigation was looking into the death.

County Coroner Travis Sharp said he had not been contacted; the sheriff's department declined any comment.

FBI spokeswoman Deborah Madden said agents were available if needed but at this point the investigation was being handled by local authorities.

Officials at the chancery clerk's office in Woodville said a lawsuit pending in chancery court names several members of the Thelma Veal family, including Doris Gordon and apparently Roy Veal, as defendants.

Chancery Clerk Thomas Tolliver Jr., said the case involved title to land in the county and damages.

Thelma Veal said the lawsuit sought portions of land owned by her late husband and his brothers. She said her son had obtained a map of the property and was collecting documents to prove the family owned the land.

"Now they have found my son hung back there on a tree," said Thelma Veal, 79.

She said her husband owned more than 40 acres in the area southwest of Woodville and that it was being sought because it might have oil deposits.

There is oil production in that area of the state.

"My husband's daddy bought this land in 1926 and I've been here ever since I was 18," she said. "It's our land."

http://seattlepi.nwsource...pagefrom=1

*****

Sunday, April 25, 2004 · Last updated 8:49 p.m. PT

Autopsy ordered on body of man found hanging in tree

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WOODVILLE, Miss. -- An autopsy has been ordered to help determine if foul play was involved in the death of a man found hanging from a tree days after family members say he tended to matters in a lawsuit concerning the title to what could be oil-rich land.

The body of Roy Veal, a Washington state man, was discovered Friday in Wilkinson County, authorities said.

Wilkinson County Sheriff Reginald Jackson said two turkey hunters found the body about 9 a.m. in a wooded area near Woodville, not far from his mother's house.

"We can't say if this was a homicide or a suicide at this point. We'll have to await further results from the crime lab," Jackson said.

Veal, 55, had been living with his mother recently in the Donegal community, a few miles south of Woodville, the sheriff said.

"He was last seen at his mother's house Wednesday evening," Jackson said.

A pillow case was over Veal's head, authorities said. Jackson said no scratches, cuts or other signs of trauma were visibly noticeable on the body.

Several of Veal's relatives watched investigators work from behind a police line about 75 yards from the tree.

Veal's Ford F-150 pickup, bearing Washington license plates, was parked several yards away from the tree. Veal's sister, Doris Gordon, a Woodville native now living in San Francisco, said her brother was in Woodville recently tending to matters relating to a lawsuit.

"They found my brother hanging from a tree with a hood over his head and some papers burned at his feet," Gordon said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from San Francisco. "It's awful. We don't know who did it."

Jackson denied that papers were found burned beneath Veal's feet.

Sheriff's deputies were assisted at the scene by investigators from the Mississippi Highway Patrol and the FBI.

Gordon, who said she would be returning to Woodville as soon as possible, said her brother had returned to the family home "to help with a lawsuit pending against our family."

"There are people trying to take part of our land because they apparently think there is oil on the land," she said.

Officials at the chancery clerk's office in Woodville said a lawsuit pending in chancery court names several members of the Veal family as defendants, including Doris Gordon and Roy Veal. Chancery Clerk Thomas Tolliver Jr., said the case involved title to land in the county and damages.

Roy Veal's mother, Thelma Veal, 79, said the lawsuit sought portions of land owned by her late husband and his brothers. She said her son had obtained a map of the property and was collecting documents to prove the family owned the land.

She said her husband owned more than 40 acres in the area southwest of Woodville and that it was being sought because it might have oil deposits.

There is oil production in that area of the state.

The Highway Patrol's Bureau of Investigation was looking into the circumstances around the death, officials say.

http://seattlepi.nwsource...pagefrom=1

What's the saying.....the more things change the more they stay the same...


Much love and peace to his family
















and edit
[This message was edited Thu Apr 29 11:53:36 2004 by Rhondab]

How awful. Who was contesting the land ownership?

Awful!

Horrible.