Sunflower County Sheriff’s Department investigators were busy on Tuesday morning processing a dark gray 1998 Buick Century that was found on a gravel road that leads to a dirt pit located southwest of the Indianola city limits, just off of Wiggins Road.
The vehicle is reportedly registered to 38-year-old Darius Woods of Yazoo City who was found deceased and lying on the ground just a few feet away from his car.
The apparent cause of death was a single gunshot wound and Sheriff James Haywood said they are treating the case as a homicide and declined to disclose the location of the injury.
According to Haywood, his office received a call around 9 a.m., Tuesday morning from someone reporting an abandoned vehicle where upon further investigation, they discovered what appeared to be a deceased person.
Haywood said Sunflower County Coroner Heather Burton was called in and Woods was pronounced dead at the scene.
The death is still in the very early stages of investigation and not much is known at this time. Because of the below-freezing conditions on Monday night, Haywood said it is difficult to predict a time of death, so he is waiting on the results from the state crime lab.
Haywood said the Indianola Police Department was called in to assist at the scene and he is asking anyone with any information regarding Wood’s death to contact the Sunflower County Sheriff’s office.