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Mowing lawn turns horrific when man finds decomposing body, Mississippi cops say

The body was found Friday, Aug. 29, in Neshoba County, about an 85-mile drive northeast from Jackson, and the identity of the body remains under investigation, officials said.
The body was found Friday, Aug. 29, in Neshoba County, about an 85-mile drive northeast from Jackson, and the identity of the body remains under investigation, officials said. Neshoba County Sheriff’s Office photo

A man mowing the grass discovered a body on his property that had apparently been there long enough to start decomposing, according to investigators in Mississippi.

The discovery was made around 1:45 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29, in a rural area of Neshoba County, about an 85-mile drive northeast from Jackson.

A forensics investigation has identified the body as 43-year-old Charles Warner Ingram of Philadelphia, Mississippi, the Neshoba County Sheriff’s Office said in a case update.

“A local resident was mowing his farm property and discovered a partially decomposed body near his woods road,” the sheriff’s office reported in an Aug. 29 news release.

“He and a neighbor stood by and assisted local law enforcement during the recovery. The property where the body was located was approximately ½ mile west of Highway 15 in the Fork Community.”

It is suspected the body had been on the property for weeks, officials said.

The cause of death for Ingram has not been released.

He was last seen Aug. 16, walking near the Neshoba County Detention Facility, officials said. Ingram had been held at the jail July 13 through Aug. 14, in connection with two “failure to appear warrants,” officials said.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigations joined the investigation, which included canvassing the area for evidence, officials said.

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This story was originally published September 2, 2025 at 7:41 AM.

MP
Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer
Mark Price is a state reporter for The Charlotte Observer and McClatchy News outlets in North Carolina. He joined the network of newspapers in 1991 at The Charlotte Observer, covering beats including schools, crime, immigration, LGBTQ issues, homelessness and nonprofits. He graduated from the University of Memphis with majors in journalism and art history, and a minor in geology. 
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