'Fed' Written on Chest of Hanged Ky. Census Worker

A US Census worker found hanged from a tree near a Kentucky cemetery had the word "fed" scrawled on his chest, a law-enforcement official said today, and the FBI is investigating whether he was a victim of anti-government sentiment. The official did not say what type of instrument was used to write the word on Bill Sparkman, a 51-year-old part-time Census field worker and teacher. He was found Sept. 12 in rural southeast Kentucky.

The Census Bureau has suspended door-to-door interviews in rural Clay County, where the body was found, pending the outcome of the investigation. An autopsy report is pending. "Our job is to determine if there was foul play involved—and that's part of the investigation—and if there was foul play involved, whether that is related to his employment as a Census worker," says an FBI rep. (More US Census stories.)