Share
The N.C. Highway Patrol has identified the body found Saturday on southbound I-85 as a white male, although they are waiting for a report from the medical examiner to release the individual’s name.
“We are 99 percent sure we know who it is but I can’t release the name until we are 100 percent,” said Sgt. G.A. Barger of the Highway Patrol. “That’s going to fall back on the medical examiner in Charlotte to do the dental records.”
Barger said he expects to be able to release the man’s identity by Monday.
The man died after an incident on Interstate 85 near Kannapolis, but authorities don’t have many answers about how the victim perished.
The ongoing investigation closed both southbound lanes of I-85 near Exit 63 (Lane Street) on Saturday.
‘Trying to piece it together’
Authorities were called to the interstate about 12:30 p.m. Saturday and investigators found a person who had been struck.
At this point, investigators don’t know how the person got on the road. The man was found not far from the Lane Street overpass.
“All we know is a body was struck here on the interstate and we have a crime scene,” Barger said.
A passerby who was on the highway about 7:30 a.m. told authorities they noticed what appeared to be a deer carcass in the road. But authorities say they believe it was the victim.
Barger said officials hope anyone who may have seen the victim will talk to authorities. The sergeant added that the Highway Patrol is seeking input from anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area between Friday night and roughly 3 a.m. Saturday.
“We are still in need of people to come forward who saw anything out of the ordinary,” he said.
“We hardly have anything to go on as far as how this happened right now. We’re trying to piece it together.”
Information can be sent to the state Highway Patrol by dialing *HP (*47) on your cellphone or calling 800-233-3151. Barger and Trooper D.B. Pope are working on the case.
Check back with www.charlotteobserver.com for more on this developing story.
