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James48843
09-23-2009, 07:55 PM
And more details here:


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32991672/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

FBI: Census worker hanged with ‘fed’ on body Investigators uncertain whether anti-government sentiment led to death
The Associated Press
updated 6:43 p.m. ET, Wed., Sept . 23, 2009

WASHINGTON - The FBI is investigating whether anti-government sentiment led to the hanging death of a U.S. Census worker near a Kentucky cemetery. A law enforcement official told The Associated Press the word 'fed" was scrawled on the dead man's chest.

The body of Bill Sparkman, a 51-year-old part-time Census field worker and teacher, was found Sept. 12 in a remote patch of the Daniel Boone National Forest in rural southeast Kentucky. The Census has suspended door-to-door interviews in rural Clay County, where the body was found, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Investigators are still trying to determine whether the death was a killing or a suicide, and if a killing, whether the motive was related to his government job or to anti-government sentiment. An autopsy report is pending.

Investigators have said little about the case. The law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss the case and requested anonymity, said Wednesday the man was found hanging from a tree and the word "fed" was written on the dead man's chest. The official did not say what type of instrument was used to write the word.
FBI spokesman David Beyer said the bureau is helping state police with the case.

"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.

Beyer declined to confirm or discuss any details about the crime scene.

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.

'Deeply saddened'

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 U.S. 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."

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. Tim McVeigh, who was executed for the bombing, carried literature by modern, ultra-right-wing anti-government authors.


Difficulty in tracking cases

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.
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.


URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32991672/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

Viva_La_Migra
09-23-2009, 08:08 PM
Sad story indeed. I normally only say this to law enforcement, but I think it applies to all federal employees these days: Be safe out there!

alevin
09-24-2009, 11:47 AM
A friend of mine is a local manager on that forest, don't know if it is his area or not. Will be talking to him, don't know if he'll be able to reveal anything or not, considering criminal investigation ongoing. LE is separate branch of org, not answerable to local managers-used to be, but not for awhile.

alevin
09-24-2009, 02:27 PM
Well, heard from my friend. He and his people are very very closely impacted by this event.

McDuck
09-24-2009, 04:47 PM
Kentucky Police Say AP Story On Census Worker Had 'Errors' (http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/uncategorized/suicide-not-ruled-out-for-dead-census-worker-he-was-in-contact-with-the-ground/)

jimijr
09-25-2009, 03:58 AM
When I worked in east Kentucky, we didn't use federal plates on our van for just this reason!

OBGibby
09-25-2009, 02:13 PM
Kentucky Police Say AP Story On Census Worker Had 'Errors' (http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/uncategorized/suicide-not-ruled-out-for-dead-census-worker-he-was-in-contact-with-the-ground/)


Would not at all surprised if this was resolved as a "auto erotic" accidental death. I know that would disappoint those that want to play this up as some sort of whackjob right-wing anti-government extremist murder...I have no information other than what's in the public domain, but when someone has "contact" with the ground, and is found hanged, it's not unusual to find that the death was accidental and related to sexual habits.

Frixxxx
09-25-2009, 02:50 PM
OK,

Exactly who was sitting around the house and going, "Hey, I bet if I cut of oxygen to my brain, I will enjoy this a whole lot more!!!!!!"

Please, another candidate for the Darwin Awards.

(If that's how it turns out)!!

alevin
09-25-2009, 03:13 PM
You ever heard of "stretching" someone's neck? Do you really think that doesn't happen with dead weight pulling head from shoulders? In which case a person's feet can end up on the ground whether they started that way or not. Please, a little respect until we know the real story, if we ever do. There's plenty of maryj growers in that neck of the woods too, not just here.

James48843
09-25-2009, 08:15 PM
More details-

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

"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."

Buster
09-25-2009, 10:06 PM
More details-

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

"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."
Nothing in my book says anything about that being erotic..:suspicious:

OBGibby
09-26-2009, 02:58 AM
OK,

Exactly who was sitting around the house and going, "Hey, I bet if I cut of oxygen to my brain, I will enjoy this a whole lot more!!!!!!"

Please, another candidate for the Darwin Awards.

(If that's how it turns out)!!


Auto erotic deaths are not all that uncommon. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erotic_asphyxiation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erotic_asphyxiation) for general information. Since I'm in law enforcement, I'm rarely surprised anymore by the efforts our fellow human beings go to either inflict pain and sufferring on others, or on the effort to obtain sexual gratification. Sad commentary but true...

OBGibby
09-26-2009, 03:10 AM
Nothing in my book says anything about that being erotic..:suspicious:

I agree. However, you may have noticed that my original reply was based on the first news accounts wherein it was implied "fed" may or may not have been scrawled on the victim, and that the victim was in contact with the ground.

Even with the new information about the identification being attached to the body, and the word "fed" on the chest, I would not rule anything out in this case.

There have been instances of suicide wherein the deceased have bound hands and feet, gagged themselves and put bags over their heads to induce asphyxiation. First blush is that it's "obviously" a murder. However, first impressions in investigations don't always turn out the way one would think they do. People do things that make sense to them, not necessarily to everybody else.

There are four possibilities of death in this case: homicide, suicide, accidental or natural. It will be interesting to see what the investigation reveals.

McDuck
11-06-2009, 08:04 AM
More details-

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

"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."


Census worker death investigation changing tack (http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=27&sid=1769623)
AP sources: Suicide eyed in Ky. census worker case
November 5, 2009

OBGibby
11-08-2009, 01:52 AM
Census worker death investigation changing tack (http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=27&sid=1769623)
AP sources: Suicide eyed in Ky. census worker case
November 5, 2009


Thanks for the update, MCDUCK. As I stated in my earlier posts, this will be an interesting case once it's wrapped up. A tough nut to crack, for sure.

PessOptimist
11-08-2009, 07:06 PM
SIGH

I fear this will be just another event that we will never know the truth about.

Thanks for not letting is slip off the "radar screen.

Frixxxx
11-24-2009, 02:30 PM
Survey says:

Investigators: Kentucky Census Worker Killed Himself

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,576647,00.html

Done! :cool:

James48843
11-24-2009, 02:32 PM
Sad.

alevin
11-24-2009, 02:45 PM
Intentional death is far different from accidental death from perversion. Some here were ready to believe perversion as most probable from the get-go, why did they feel the need to choose the sickest possible answer first instead of allowing for other possibilities? Their willingness to choose perversion as most probable said much about them to me.

Frixxxx
11-24-2009, 03:01 PM
Their willingness to choose perversion as most probable said much about them to me.
Suicide...the most perverted form of death:mad:!

McDuck
11-24-2009, 08:55 PM
Some here were ready to believe perversion as most probable from the get-go, why did they feel the need to choose the sickest possible answer first instead of allowing for other possibilities? Their willingness to choose perversion as most probable said much about them to me.
The Drive-by Media(liberals) were ready to believe it was done an anti-government group.

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

Liberals, Lord, Liberals.

http://www.foxnews.com/images/566555/1_61_320census.jpg

alevin
11-24-2009, 10:00 PM
The Drive-by Media(liberals) were ready to believe it was done an anti-government group.

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

Liberals, Lord, Liberals.

http://www.foxnews.com/images/566555/1_61_320census.jpg

Duckie, the article also said he'd been warned about anti-gov sentiment in the area-it is real in that area. I have a friend who is a local manager in that area who has confirmed that there are real concerns along those lines in that area-nobody made it up for this story. I've lived in areas like that, and there were parts of the area we were responsible for managing where we just plain didn't go, due to exactly that concern. so it was not out of the question that that could have been the case in that area as well. You don't even know what its like to live and work as a fed in some areas of the country.

Handballer
11-24-2009, 10:21 PM
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091125/ap_on_re_us/us_census_worker_hanged

Here is the latest update. Looks like we all were fooled.

OBGibby
11-25-2009, 09:26 AM
Intentional death is far different from accidental death from perversion. Some here were ready to believe perversion as most probable from the get-go, why did they feel the need to choose the sickest possible answer first instead of allowing for other possibilities? Their willingness to choose perversion as most probable said much about them to me.

ALEVIN,

I am assuming your jibe is directed towards me and/or others. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but in my line of work, auto-erotic deaths - however unpleasant the thought is to you - is a reality of this world we live in. I offered a possible explanation of the circumstances of his death (contrary to your assertion that I chose "perversion as most probable"); I make no apologies if that offended you. What is offensive is your last sentence in the quote listed above.

alevin
11-27-2009, 08:53 AM
OB, as a field biologist who works and has worked in areas similar to this with high maryj grower criminal activity as well as general-populace anti-fed sentiment and who has dealt first-hand with decaying animal bodies (the body in this case was apparently 3 weeks dead), the evidence never pointed me to the "accidental-stupid" proposition, but rather to intentional kill (regular criminal attempting misdirection, or actual anti-fed).

The "accidental-stupid" possibility was the one you first put forward, which indicated to me that you have complete cynicism about victims and how they got that way and that disgusted me and made me really sad that you would automatically go to "blame the victime" first and discount other evidence. If thats not what you meant to convey, then my apologies.

As professional with life experience described above, the "accidental-stupid" scenario would have never played out for me logicwise. The "accidental-stupid" scenario means to me that it would totally been a private thing with full expectation of survival and never being found in that condition, so I can't fathom such a person setting things up with assumption of not surviving and trying to cast blame elsewhere in that event. Again my apologies for seeing you discount competing evidence and hearing utter cynicism and "blame the victim" mentality in your first post if that was not where your head was at with those remarks.

Turns out the "misdirection" played out, and also turns out the "intentional kill" played out (suicide)-just not in a way either of us actually imagined.

OBGibby
11-27-2009, 10:00 AM
OB, as a field biologist who works and has worked in areas similar to this with high maryj grower criminal activity as well as general-populace anti-fed sentiment and who has dealt first-hand with decaying animal bodies (the body in this case was apparently 3 weeks dead), the evidence never pointed me to the "accidental-stupid" proposition, but rather to intentional kill (regular criminal attempting misdirection, or actual anti-fed).

The "accidental-stupid" possibility was the one you first put forward, which indicated to me that you have complete cynicism about victims and how they got that way and that disgusted me and made me really sad that you would automatically go to "blame the victime" first and discount other evidence. If thats not what you meant to convey, then my apologies.

As professional with life experience described above, the "accidental-stupid" scenario would have never played out for me logicwise. The "accidental-stupid" scenario means to me that it would totally been a private thing with full expectation of survival and never being found in that condition, so I can't fathom such a person setting things up with assumption of not surviving and trying to cast blame elsewhere in that event. Again my apologies for seeing you discount competing evidence and hearing utter cynicism and "blame the victim" mentality in your first post if that was not where your head was at with those remarks.

Turns out the "misdirection" played out, and also turns out the "intentional kill" played out (suicide)-just not in a way either of us actually imagined.

ALEVIN,

I suggest you more carefully parse my earlier comments in this thread. How you, or anyone else for that matter, could possibly construe the words in my posts as indicative of "complete cynicism about victims" or that I "would automatically go to blame the victim" escapes me. Perhaps you wanted to read more into my comments than they warranted. I simply offerred a reasonable and plausible explanation of what may have happened, based on the information known in the public domain at the time. While others on this board and elsewhere on the Internet implied, or outright stated that the deceased fell victim to foul play, possibly because of his association with the federal government, I put forth a competing theory. One, I might add, based on training and experience.

Additionally, contrary to your assertion in the last sentence of your post quoted above, I did not fail to "imagine" other possibilities regarding how Mr. Sparkman died. I'll remind you of my post from Sept 26, 2009, in this thread, wherein I stated "There are four possibilities of death in this case: homicide, suicide, accidental or natural. It will be interesting to see what the investigation reveals. "

My apologies for the rant - just a bit sensitive at being characterized or thought of as someone who would "blame the victim" first.

alevin
11-27-2009, 10:49 AM
OB, the evidence never pointed me to the "accidental-stupid" proposition,

[OB, I repeat], the "accidental-stupid" possibility was the one you first put forward, which indicated to me If thats not what you meant to convey, then my apologies, [as I said already].

As professional with life experience described above, the "accidental-stupid" scenario would have never played out for me logicwise. Again my apologies for seeing you discount competing evidence and hearing utter cynicism and "blame the victim" mentality in your first post if that was not where your head was at with those remarks.

OB, I did see where you acknowledged multiple possibilities, they just came later, after you posited "accidental-stupid" as very possible. The variety of evidence available at the time or since, never pointed me that direction, ever. Since you say I am in error about your original mindset, I will accept that and again my apologies for ever thinking otherwise. Moving on. May the poor man rest in peace, and may his grieving family find eventual peace as well. His act was born in pain, misery and love for his family, he was very very wrong to attempt to resolve all that pain the way he did.

Bullitt
11-28-2009, 09:47 AM
This thread could be used for academic submission with all the senseless finger pointing over nothing.

They pick the most dangerous enemy they can find, and it's themselves. All we need do is sit back and watch. The world is full of Maple Street's.

G5u-QVk3PFU

grandma
11-28-2009, 04:09 PM
Rod Serling had some Very Interesting films -
the ones that had a twist concerning who the enemy was were disturbing.
The one I still recall is of Astronauts landing in this farmer's attic, trying to find out how dangerous these people would end up being, I guess. I just recall really getting involved emotionally- finally the wife was able to get after them with a broom, (the invading astronauts were Lilliputh sized). One was severely injured & the other trying to call for assistance from the space ship. The last clip finally showed a clear shot of the emblem on their sleeves - it was the USA.....
He had a way of making his point regarding his feelings about the United States, and God.