Hanged Census worker had 'fed' on chest

Summary

September 23, 2009: On September 12, a 51 year old Census worker was found hanging from a tree in a remote part of the Daniel Boone National Forest near a cemetery in rural southeast Kentucky. He had the word "Fed" scrawled across his chest.

Asked about the hanging, one of the locals said:

"Sometimes I think the government should stick their nose out of people's business and stick their nose in their business at the same time. They care too much about the wrong things."

November 24,2009: Police and Federal Agents have ruled the death a suicide:

"Investigators said Tuesday what they had been hinting at for weeks, that Bill Sparkman's hanging was a ruse to mask his suicide for a big insurance payout."

Source

Bibliography

1. Article with further information on the region

2. Article with further information on the murder scene

3. Original article

4. Movie: Murder, He Says (1945) — nothing to do with this case, but I had to mention it. A poll-taker knocks on the wrong door while following up on a missing co-worker and comes upon creepy hillbillies, a mad scientist, evil twins, radium, and a hidden treasure. Oh, and it's a Fred MacMurray comedy.

5. Update of investigation with notes on how suicide was determined

Game and Story Use

• This might be the first of serial killings of government employees. After all, given the rampant irrationality of the current American political scene (starting with the Birther movement) and going from there, a person or group who kill government employees on general principle might be all too plausible.
• Alternatively it might be a false flag operation by government agents, sacrificing a disposable employee to strike a propaganda blow against the dissident movements.
  • If the dead man was a troublesome employee, this might count as a rare example of government using resources efficiently. In RPG terms evidence of a troublesome relationship with his employer or the suggestion that he might be a whistleblower could be a clue that all is not as it seems.
• What kind of tree was he hung from? This might have occult significance, if there is a more mystical angle to this killing than immediately apparent. Was this Census worker not just a victim, but also a human sacrifice? And was the word "Fed" scrawled across his chest intended to channel hostile energies against the government itself as he died?
  • Whatever the cause, this is certainly a case that might warrant the attention of groups like Delta Green.
    • And maybe that killed Census worker was a Delta Green Friendly or Agent in the first place who snooped after the wrong group at the wrong time - a group of anti-government vigilantes thriving in the current political climate who know just enough Mythos spells to be a real danger to themselves and others…
    • Final findings can serve as an example of how forensics can determine homicide or suicide.