Authorities in Jackson, Miss., are investigating two separate crime scenes that appear to be connected … or not, as it happens.
On Saturday morning, a group of children found a severed head on the front porch of a home, WLBT reports. Hours later, a headless burned body was discovered less than a mile away. Both sets of remains are identified only as those of a black male.
The cause of death, at this time, appears to be decapitation, but that will be confirmed by the medical examiner. Jackson Police Chief Lee Vance said that officials have not yet confirmed whether the head is from the burned body.
The Hinds County Coroner was summoned to the scene, and investigators are in the process of attempting to identify the deceased.
“Obviously, rage was an ingredient, perhaps some type of message sending,” Vance said.
He added, “No, I have never seen anything to occur where a head has been torn or cut from a body.”
Police did not say whether the homeowners recognized the head.
Read more at WLBT.