Coroner says decomposed body appears to be man missing for weeks
Published 6:55 am Thursday, June 27, 2019
A coroner says a body found south of Jackson appears to be a central Mississippi man missing since June 3.
The body was found behind a vacant house in Terry on Wednesday.
Christopher “Austen” Slay of Canton went missing after setting out to visit a friend in Terry. The 23-year-old man’s car was found abandoned in Jackson days later.
Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham-Stewart tells local news outlets she believes the remains are of Slay. She says an autopsy must verify the identity because the body has decomposed. Grisham-Stewart sees no obvious signs of trauma or injury. The coroner says an anthropologist will examine the remains to help determine a cause of death.
Grisham-Stewart says she believes the body had been behind the house for two or three weeks.