Apparent Suicide

On the afternoon of Thursday, March 8th, ranger Rachel Strain investigated an abandoned vehicle in the Cypress Swamp Trail parking lot near milepost 122 in Madison County and learned that it belonged to a 43-year-old Ridgeland, Mississippi, man who was reported to be missing and suicidal. Strain and ranger Patrick Gagnon, assisted by Madison County officers, found the man’s body in a secluded area just off the trail. A firearm and suicide note were found on his person. The body was taken to the state crime lab in Jackson for an autopsy. The death is being treated as a suicide. The FBI and Mississippi Bureau of Investigation are assisting. Strain is the investigating ranger.