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Georgia hanging death ruled a suicide, authorities say

A black man found hanging from a tree in rural Georgia killed himself, according to the results of a forensic autopsy released by authorities Tuesday.
Police tape outside of a crime scene. (Photo by Max Whittaker/Reuters)
Police tape outside of a crime scene.

A black man found hanging from a tree in rural Georgia killed himself, according to the results of a forensic autopsy released by authorities Tuesday.

The body of Roosevelt Champion III, 43, was discovered Monday by a neighbor in the town of Greensboro, police said. Champion had recently been questioned about the death of a white woman, and his death triggered speculation of foul play.

RELATED: Black man found hanged from tree in Greensboro, Georgia

But a forensic autopsy concluded that the manner of death was suicide and the cause of death was hanging, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement.

"After a thorough autopsy examination, there was no evidence of any inflicted trauma to Champion's body," the agency said.

This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com