A Census Bureau worker in Kentucky who was found dead in September with "FED" written on his chest killed himself and staged his death to look like a homicide, state and federal law enforcement officials said Tuesday.

William Sparkman Jr. was found with his hands, feet and mouth loosely bound with duct tape, a rope loosely tied around his neck. Passers-by spotted his body Sept. 12 in a remote area of the Daniel Boone National Forest in eastern Kentucky.

Investigators concluded that Sparkman wrote the word on his own chest from the bottom up. He died of asphyxiation, an autopsy showed.

Witnesses told investigators that Sparkman had discussed ending his life. Before his death, Sparkman also secured two life insurance policies, totaling $600,000, that would not pay out for suicide.

The Kentucky State Police partnered with the FBI and other state and federal agencies to investigate the death.

Authorities decided to share some details of their investigation Tuesday due to the high level of national interest.


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