Foul play suspected in death of Milledgeville trucker

Authorities on Wednesday determined that a man’s body found late Monday in Mississippi was that of a Milledgeville truck driver who was reported missing Sunday.

A Peterbilt truck belonging to Tommy Lee Wilson, 36, was found in Newton, Mississippi, before Wilson’s body was discovered nearby.

The body was identified by a fingerprint, investigators said.

Before the body was confirmed to be Wilson’s, Danny Shoemaker, coroner of Newton County, Mississippi, told The Telegraph, “We feel like it’s him, but we don’t know for sure yet.”

Wilson’s truck was in a parking lot about 200 yards from where the body was, Shoemaker said.

Newton, a town of about 3,400, lies along Interstate 20 between Jackson and Meridian.

Authorities in Mississippi believe foul play was a factor in Wilson’s death, Milledgeville Police Chief Dray Swicord said Wednesday evening.

The chief said Wilson’s truck had been vandalized.

This story was originally published June 1, 2016 at 1:20 PM with the headline "Foul play suspected in death of Milledgeville trucker."