FBI officials are processing the scene and authorities have not released a name.
However, the man was identified by the Claiborne county NAACP chapter and family members as Otis Byrd. He was found hanging in the woods about a half mile from his last known residence, CBS News affiliate WJTV reported.
NAACP officials are calling for an investigation into what happened to Byrd.
"We are calling on federal authorities to immediately investigate the hanging death of Mr. Otis Byrd to determine whether or not his death is the result of a hate crime," Derrick Johnson, the President of the NAACP Mississippi State Conference said in a statement.
The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi have joined the investigation into Byrd's death and the FBI is conducting a preliminary inquiry as well.
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Body of African-American man found hanging in Mississippi - CBS News